The St. Mary's (Phoenix) girls basketball program is no stranger to the spotlight, and Thursday junior Courtney Ekmark took her turn receiving attention.

The 6-foot junior guard was selected the Arizona girls basketball player of the year by Gatorade, after leading the Knights to a 29-1 record and a third Division 1 state title in a row.

St. Mary's is ranked No. 7 nationally by MaxPreps in the Xcellent 25 national rankings presented by the Army National Guard.

Ekmark, who is ranked as a top 20 recruit nationally by some publications, averaged 19.6 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals this past season.

She is the third Gatorade winner from St. Mary's, joining Shilpa Tummala (2012) and Davellyn Whyte (2009). Ekmark also is now eligible for national player of the year honors by Gatorade.

"Ekmark is a fantastic basketball player," Westview (Avondale) coach Lisa Contreras said in the announcment release. "She does a great job of reading the defense and coming off picks, and she's an outstanding shooter."