Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

MOBILE – The reigning Shelby County Player of the Year put her talents to work for the Alabama All-Stars on Saturday, March 8 as Haley Trotter represented Chelsea High School on one of the biggest stages.

Trotter played a key role in Alabama’s 81-71 win over the Mississippi All-Stars in the annual Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game for girls basketball.

The game, which took place at the University of South Alabama’s Mitchell Center, spotlighted the top seniors in the state of Alabama, and Trotter held her own with some of the Southeast’s brightest stars.

While she finished with just one point, she made her presence known around the court by securing eight rebounds, including six on the defensive end, along with three steals.

Those eight rebounds were the second-most of any player in the game behind just Ashlyn Howard of Hewitt-Trussville, and her three steals were tied for the most in the game with Mississippi’s Jada Rucker.

As for the game itself, Alabama and Mississippi found themselves in a deadlock at halftime. Mississippi led 17-16 following the first quarter but Alabama tied it up at 32-32 at the break.

From there, the Yellowhammer State’s finest outscored Mississippi 23-12 in the third quarter to go up by double digits and build an insurmountable lead. The two teams combined for 53 points in a frantic final quarter that saw Alabama seal the 10-point win.

Howard secured MVP honors for Alabama as she earned a double-double with 13 points and 15 rebounds, making the most of her late addition to the squad full of stars such as the reigning Miss Basketball, Spring Garden’s Ace Austin, along with Vestavia Hills’ Sarah Gordon and Hoover’s Kaitlyn Gipson and Saniya Jackson.

Trotter’s performance at the All-Star Game came fresh off a historic playoff run with Chelsea as she helped guide the Hornets to their first-ever appearance in the state championship game.

She led the Hornets to a 27-9 record in the 2024-25 season, including a 6-0 mark in area play along with the Class 6A, Area 8 and Central Regional championships.

Trotter finished the season with an average of 17.7 points, nine rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while racking up 87 steals and 39 blocks. She ends her career in the Chelsea blue and white as the school’s all-time leader in points and rebounds.

Trotter also played in the North-South All-Star Game last summer, dropping 12 points while playing against some of the best rising seniors from the southern half of the state.

A Shelton State signee, Trotter has been an All-County First Team selection in each of the last two seasons and earned a Class 7A All-State Second Team spot in 2024 while positioning herself well for more honors over the next few weeks as postseason awards roll in.