Early this season, Loomis Chaffee center Alicia Mitchell was mid-practice when one of her younger teammates came up to ask for help, because she was confused about a play.
The innocuous question became Mitchell's moment of epiphany. Loomis Chaffee had seven seniors on the roster, including the 6-foot-3 center from Springfield, Mass., who was only in her second season on the team. At that moment, Mitchell knew it was her turn to lead the dynasty.
"It still puts a smile on my face thinking about it," she said.
Loomis Chaffee completed another dominant winter with a 51-45 victory over Sacred Heart in the Class A championship game. The Pelicans crowded around each other postgame and cheered, "Not two, not three, not four!" to celebrate their fourth consecutive title. On paper, this one felt predestined. They were the heavy preseason favorites, stayed mostly healthy throughout the season and went 25-3, with their only losses against Class AAA powers Tilton, Nobles and Tabor.
