Alana Nelson from Springport. — Springport's Alana Nelson.J. Scott Park | MLive.com

JACKSON – Girls basketball in the Jackson area reached historic levels this winter.

Five local teams found themselves state-ranked over the course of the season, while six teams brought home at least a share of their respective conference titles. We also had individual program and state records broken, as well as plenty of epic finishes and memorable moments.

The state tournament is still on hold, as we all try our best to limit our exposure to the coronavirus, but we decided to recognize the top individuals from the area in the meantime.

Below is the Jackson Citizen Patriot girls basketball Player of the Year and Dream Team for the 2019-20 season. The project was put together by MLive sports reporter Josh VanDyke, who compiled the team through nominations from area coaches, as well as season statistics and conference awards.

PLAYER OF YEAR

ALANA NELSON, SPRINGPORT

Few players in the Jackson area possess as versatile of a skill set as Alana Nelson.

The senior forward has done a little bit of everything for Springport over the course of her high school career, including occasionally running the offense at point guard, knocking down 3-pointers and dominating in the post.

In her senior season, Nelson averaged 22 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. She ended her career with 1,454 points to become the all-time scoring leader at the school. She also holds the Springport program record for most points in a season (462), most rebounds in a season (242), most career rebounds (900), and highest 2-point field goal percentage in a career (50 percent). She was named the Big 8 Conference MVP for the third year in a row and will be continuing her basketball career at Northwood University next season.

For her stellar career and impact on the game for the Spartans, Nelson is your 2019-20 MLive Jackson Player of the Year.

FIRST TEAM

Michigan Center vs. Grass Lake — Grass Lake's Abrie Cabana.J. Scott Park | MLive.com

ABRIE CABANA, GRASS LAKE

Cabana is one of the most complete players in the area with her abilities as a scorer, distributor and defender. The Grand Valley State University commit averaged 19.8 points per game, 5 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 3 steals for the Warriors while shooting 88 percent from the free-throw line and 37 percent on 3-point attempts and broke the school record for points in a career with 1,170.

Grass Lake vs Michigan Center — Michigan Center's Shealyn Tripp.J. Scott Park | MLive.com

SHEA TRIPP, MICHIGAN CENTER

The junior center averaged 14.4 points, seven rebounds, 3.3 steals, 2.5 assists and 3.3 steals to lead the Cardinals in all statistical categories. She shot 60 percent on 2-point field goals and 86.3 percent from the free-throw line. She scored a season-high 26 points against top-ranked Detroit Edison during a Dec. 21, 2019.

Leslie vs. Stockbridge — Stockbridge's Gwen Rogozinski.J. Scott Park | MLive.com

GWEN ROGOZINSKI, STOCKBRIDGE

The sophomore point guard averaged 20.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.9 steals for the Panthers this season. She scored 41 points in a game against Lake Odessa Lakewood on Feb. 21, in which she knocked down a school-record eight 3-point field goals and was an integral part of the team’s first GLAC conference championship since 2007.

Grass Lake vs. Lenawee Christian — Grass Lake's Lexus Bargesser.J. Scott Park | MLive.com

LEXUS BARGESSER, GRASS LAKE

The speedy guard for the Warriors seemed to get to the rim at will this winter, as she averaged 19.1 points, 3.7 assists, 6.9 rebounds and 3.1 steals per game. She was also one of the best on-ball defenders in the area and was a key reason for Grass Lake’s success.

Jackson vs. Ypsilanti Lincoln — Jackson forward Jada Patton. Mikayla Carter | MLive.com

JADA PATTON, JACKSON

The senior forward averaged 15.1 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game for the Vikings. She scored a season-high 34 points in a Jan. 31 game against Pinckney and was named first team All-SEC White. She will continue her basketball career at Jackson College next year.

SECOND TEAM

Gras Lake vs Michigan Center — Grass Lake's Gabrielle Lutchka. (J. Scott Park | MLive.com)

GABRIELLE LUTCHKA, GRASS LAKE

The sophomore forward averaged 14.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, two steals and 1.6 assists per game for the Warriors. She broke the MHSAA record for most 3-point field goals made in one game with 16 during a 56-point performance against Manchester.

Lumen Christi's Catriana Carroll. Mikayla Carter | MLive.com

CAT CARROLL, LUMEN CHRISTI

The senior center averaged 14.79 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game for the Titans. Her abilities as an offensive rebounder and rim protector helped Lumen Christi win a district championship and advance to the regional semifinals. She will join the University of Louisville rowing team next year.

Springport's Alex Maher. Mikayla Carter | MLive.com

ALEX MAHER, SPRINGPORT

The senior point guard averaged 15 points, four assists, 4.7 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game for the Spartans. She finished her career with 1,012 points, as well as the most assists in school history with 217. She will continue her basketball career at Indiana University Southeast next season.

Lumen Christi vs Northwest girls basketball — Northwest's Morgan Hanchett.J. Scott Park | MLive.com

MORGAN HANCHETT, JACKSON NORTHWEST

The senior guard averaged 16 points, three rebounds, 2.5 assists and two steals per game for the Mounties. She scored a career-high 34 points during a game against Hastings and will be playing at Alma College next year.

Michigan Center vs. Springport girls basketball — Michigan Center's Alize Tripp.J. Scott Park | MLive.com

ALIZE TRIPP, MICHIGAN CENTER

The sharpshooting guard averaged 12.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.3 steals and 2 assists per game for the Cardinals and shot 42 percent on 3-point field goals and 74.5 percent from the free-throw line. She had a season-high 26 points against state-ranked Springport on Jan. 22 and made the game-winning 3-point shot against Grass Lake in the Division 3 district semifinals. She will continue her basketball career at Concordia University next year.

HONORABLE MENTION

Hillary Griffin, Parma Western, So.

Natalie Shellberg, Western, Sr.

Zoie Bamm, Columbia Central, Fr.

Lexi Collins, Columbia Central, Jr.

Morgan Morris, Michigan Center, Sr.

Teagan Haynes, Michigan Center, Sr.

Kaycee Shannon, Michigan Center, Sr.

Maya Pierce, Jackson, So.

Jozie Bontrager, Northwest, Sr.

Emma Smieska, Leslie, So.

Tommi Fedewa, Leslie, Jr.

Grace Hall, Stockbridge, Jr.

Natalie Bargardi, Manchester, Sr.

Billie Weeks, Concord, Sr.

Mackenzie Baker, Jonesville, So.

COACH OF THE YEAR

Northwest vs Western girls basketball — Western head coach Gina Fortress. (J. Scott Park | Mlive.com)

GINA FORTRESS, PARMA WESTERN

Fortress helped mold a young roster into a title contender this season. The Panthers broke a school record for wins in a season with 21 and captured the Interstate 8 Conference championship for the first time since 2006, won the district championship and advanced to the first regional finals appearance in program history before the season was put on hold.