East Ridge reached the girls basketball state tournament for the first time in program history this past season, but will search for a new varsity head coach with the departure of former Gophers standout Ashley Ellis-Milan.

Led by Oklahoma signee and All-Minnesota selection Vienna Murray, who averaged 22 points per game, the Raptors finished 23-7 and lost in the Class 4A tournament quarterfinals to Maple Grove. The team went 16-2 in league play to win the Suburban East Conference.

Ellis-Milan, who had been the East Ridge coach since the 2020-21 season, did not specify the reason for her departure in a statement to Strib Varsity. She announced her decision at the team banquet in late March.

“Overall, I resigned and left the program in a very good position to succeed,” Ellis-Milan said. “It was my choice to walk away from being the head coach at East Ridge. The girls [players] and administration at East Ridge are amazing and I wish them well.”

After starting the season 0-2, the Raptors won 19 of their next 20 regular season games, which included a 10-game winning streak in December. They were named Strib Varsity Taco Bell team of the week on Feb. 12.

After a standout career at St. Paul Central, Ellis-Milan was named the Star Tribune’s All-Metro player of the year in 2005. She played for the Gophers from 2005-10 and was a two-time All-Big Ten selection and team captain.