Ivey Maddox produced a praiseworthy sophomore season every bit deserving of the myriad accolades that followed.

Luckily for Good Hope’s varsity girls — perhaps more so unluckily for their opponents — Maddox didn’t rest on her laurels.

Instead, the 5-foot-10 standout put in the necessary work and came back a more complete player for the Lady Raiders.

The junior’s impressive statistics back that up.

Maddox averaged 17.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per contest — up from 14.4 and 6.0 a season ago — for Good Hope, which finished with a 31-3 record. She also tallied 85 assists, 67 steals and 16 blocks en route to helping the Lady Raiders reach the Sweet 16, after picking up county and area tournament titles, for a third straight year. 

Maddox accumulated those numbers against stout competition, too.

Good Hope competed against 15 programs ranked in the final Alabama Sports Writers Association poll, including Class 6A champion Hazel Green, Class 4A semifinalist New Hope, Class 3A runner-up Clements, Class 3A semifinalist Susan Moore, Class 2A runner-up Cold Springs (twice) and Class 1A runner-up Marion County.

The record in those games? 13-3, which doesn’t include three additional wins over Class 4A runner-up Priceville, which entered the playoffs unranked but won 23 games.

Not only did she shine against a devious schedule, but Maddox also upped her play when it mattered most.

In four postseason games, she averaged 22.3 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 47 percent from 3-point range.

When all was said and done, Maddox garnered All-County, All-Area, Northwest All-Regional Team and All-State (Class 4A First Team) honors for her sterling efforts.

And, for the second straight season, she is The Times’ All-Area Girls Player of the Year.

“Very few athletes have been able to win this award back-to-back years,” Good Hope coach Justin Aby said. “Ivey continues to improve her game and has become very dominant on the court. I’m honored to be her coach and glad to have her back for next season.”

While Aby’s counterparts probably wouldn’t echo those sentiments, they did laud Maddox’s abilities.

“She’s really athletic and can really score off the dribble,” West Point coach John Welborn said. “She finds a way to get open and moves without the ball. She’s a mismatch and a hard guard. If you put a big on her she’ll go by her. If you put a small girl on her she’ll post up. On top of that, she’s an accurate shooter and a really good rebounder.”

Added Holly Pond coach Mary Hartline: “She can score from any position on the floor. She’s a really intelligent player as well. It’s one thing to be as good as she was when she was younger. But some stay the same and don’t reach their full potential. The fact that she kept improving when she already played at a high level shows me she sets goals and works hard to meet them.”

Tammy West earned Coach of the Year accolades after guiding Cold Springs to the Class 2A state championship game.

The Lady Eagles eliminated No. 9 Francis Marion to win the Central Regional Tournament and advance to their seventh Final Four under West. Cold Springs then took down No. 3 Lanett in Birmingham before eventually losing to No. 2 Mars Hill Bible to finish its tremendous campaign at 31-3.

Addison’s Gracie Manley, Cold Springs’ Maci Brown, Cold Springs’ Ella Dickerson, Cullman’s Ava McSwain and Good Hope’s Bailey Tetro headline this year’s All-Area first team.

Cold Springs’ Ella Bruer, Fairview’s Jayla Gorham, Good Hope’s Rudi Derrick, Good Hope’s Heather Tetro and West Point’s Liberty Shadix comprise this year’s All-Area second team.

The All-Area Team was selected myself after reviewing the 2022-23 season and speaking with our local basketball coaches. However, with a small number of spots available, it’s possible some deserving candidates were left out.

See below for The Times’ complete 2022-23 All-Area Girls Basketball Team.

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Player of the Year: Ivey Maddox, Good Hope

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Coach of the Year: Tammy West, Cold Springs

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First Team

Gracie Manley, Addison

Maci Brown, Cold Springs

Ella Dickerson, Cold Springs

Ava McSwain, Cullman

Bailey Tetro, Good Hope

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Second Team

Ella Bruer, Cold Springs

Jayla Gorham, Fairview

Rudi Derrick, Good Hope

Heather Tetro, Good Hope

Liberty Shadix, West Point

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Honorable Mention

Addison: Hadley Butler and Molly Gilbreath

Cold Springs: Ciara Calvert and Malaya Taylor

Cullman: Ella Collum and Ally Sharpe

Fairview: Emma Garcia and Darby Nichols

Good Hope: Charly Johnson

Hanceville: Savana McAnnally and Aaliyah Twitty

Holly Pond: Madison Butts and Maddi Ham

St. Bernard: Ella Davis

Vinemont: Whitney Quick and Reagan Robinson

West Point: Laklin Shadix and Hailee Wheeler