Cherokee Trail remains in the hunt for its first-ever trip to play for a state championship, but players who helped the program reach the doorstep for a second time loom large on the 2025-26 Aurora Sentinel All-Aurora Girls Basketball Team.
Selected by the Sentinel in conjunction with balloting of local coaches, the area’s starting five includes a pair of Cougars in senior Aaliyah Broadus and freshman Chloe Cain, while three other programs have one representative in Grandview (junior Ava Chang), Overland (junior Michaela Halton) and Regis Jesuit (sophomore Tiana Rogers).
Full 2025-26 Aurora Sentinel All-Aurora Girls Basketball Team, here
The Cougars earned the top seed in the Class 6A playoffs and had a double-digit lead early in the semifinals at the Denver Coliseum before Northfield rallied and ended the season for coach Tammi Statewright’s team.
Cherokee Trail (23-4) was blessed with significant top-end talent, which included key figures in Broadus and Cain.
Broadus had been an important figure for the Cougars in three previous varsity seasons — also helping them reach the Final Four in the 2023-24 season — but she was crucial in every way as a senior. Signed to Division I Wichita State before the season, Broadus provided leadership to a largely young roster and had the game to match.
With the physical ability to score inside and an outside shot that was deadly when it was on, the 5-foot-11 Broadus scored 17 points per game, the fourth-most among Aurora area players. Add that to 7.4 rebounds per game — tied for second locally — and it helped her put together a season in which she earned 6A All-State first team honors from the Colorado High School Activities Association and also made the All-Centennial League first team.
Broadus (along with fellow senior Karson Chaney) played an especially important role in the middle portion of the season when the Cougars had to play without the heralded Cain, whose talent was apparent from the first minute she stepped on the floor.
A wrist fracture suffered during Cherokee Trail’s trip to Phoenix for the Nike Tournament of Champions put the multi-talented freshman on the sidelines for a significant amount of time, but she was able to return in the second half of the season and make a big impact.
Cain averaged 15 points per game — and was even better than that in the postseason, as she averaged 20 per contest in the Sweet 16, Great 8 and Final Four — while she also pulled down 6.0 rebounds (second to Broadus) and led the team in assists (3.9 per game), steals (2.7 per game) and blocked shots (1.1 per game). Cain made CHSAA’s All-State second team and the All-Centennial League first team.
Grandview was unable to defend its 6A state championship from the previous season with a significantly new cast due to graduation (with a class that included three-time Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year and McDonald’s All-American Sienna Betts) but still had an elite talent in junior Ava Chang.
A key piece to last season’s title run for coach Josh Ulitzky’s team, Chang blossomed as a scorer, which was needed with the graduation of Betts.
Chang averaged 18.0 points per game (third most along local players) and the 5-10 guard also rebounded exceptionally well from her position as she pulled down 6.9 rebounds (just behind teammate Sorrelle Kamgang for the team lead), plus 4.3 steals per game (top five in 6A) and 3.9 assists. The stat-stuffing season landed Chang Centennial League Player of the Year honors as well as CHSAA second team All-State honors.
The leading scorer in Aurora hailed from Overland in Halton, whose average of 22.1 points per game (a climb from her mark of 16.9 per contest in her sophomore season) put the explosive guard fifth in the 6A classification.
A big driving force behind coach Wondame Davis’ Trailblazers — who won 14 games for a second straight season — Halton passed the 1,000-point mark for her career and tallied double figures in 20 of the 21 games she played.
The 5-8 Halton was particularly dangerous against other Aurora area teams as she averaged 29 points per game in eight head-to-head contests with local squads. The All-Centennial League first teamer also averaged 4.1 steals per game (which put her in the top 10 in 6A) plus 3.6 rebounds.
Coach Jordan Kasemodel’s 18-7 Regis Jesuit team had one of the area’s most versatile talents in Rogers, a 5-11 sophomore who like Halton made CHSAA’s All-State honorable mention list.
The All-Continental League first team pick had a multi-faceted game that included strong play in the paint combined with a good touch from the outside, which helped her average 15.2 points per game as the Raiders’ lone double-digit scorer. Rogers’ 6.1 rebounds per game ranked second on her team and she also averaged 1.9 assists.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
