The first games of the NEPSAC girls basketball season tip off today.
When Worcester Academy and Wilbraham & Monson (or St. Andrew's and MacDuffie) take the court this afternoon, it'll mark the start of a four-month run up to Super Sunday in March. We've been previewing the girls season throughout the fall, and it's time to lock in my championship picks.
How'd I do last year? Eh... decent. I went 3-for-6 in the preseason, nailing Loomis Chaffee, Rivers and Hamden Hall in their respective classes, and I had the exact correct championship matchups in classes B and C. I also labeled Class AAA champion Tilton as a dark horse, but that's not quite good enough for me. And some schools, like AA winner Worcester Academy, came totally out of nowhere.
Time to put my takes on the line. Here are my championship picks for every class in NEPSAC.
SETTING THE STAGE: Our first Top 10 | Class AAA preseason watch list | Class AA preseason watch list
Class AAA
The pick: Tilton
Runner-up: New Hampton
Dark horse: Hoosac
Tilton and New Hampton are evenly-matched on paper, with both schools boasting some of New England's biggest stars plus a handful of key transfers. You can't go wrong either way. Since I have to pick, I'm banking on the defensive upside on the Rams, plus coach Tara Brisson's track record as a winner with defense. The Rams' guard group is loaded with tough perimeter defenders, and that's before we even get to Bella Owumi (Lynn, Mass.). It cannot be understated how much she could alter the court and wider NEPSAC landscape with her presence. Lastly, led by Bela Cucuta (Newington, Conn.) and Maddie McCaffery (Merrimack, N.H.), Tilton's offense should be better than last year.
The case for New Hampton: The Huskies are filled with versatile scorers and playmakers who will be tough to completely shut down. Elyse Ngenda (Bedford, N.H.), Serenity Lancaster (New London, C0nn.) and Australian transfer Chloe Dix can score creatively and impact the game beyond scoring. New Hampton also has a ton of shooting and speed in its guard depth. I believe these are clearly the two deepest rosters in prep basketball.
All of Class AAA is stacked though, and Hoosac presents the most mystery. Could Anna Moser (Rutland, Vt.) lead the class in scoring? Will their own transfer recruits bolster the size and physicality known for in the program? Last year, Tilton was our dark horse and won it all. Don't sleep on Hoosac.
ALL EYES ON THEM:Â How the Rams are handling the pressure of their new NEPSAC spotlight
Class AA
The pick: Northfield Mount Hermon
Runner-up: Darrow
Dark horse: Worcester Academy
The depth of Class AA is improved from last season, but there's still a four-team top tier. Northfield Mount Hermon was a strong defensive squad last year, and they went out and added more size and post presence in the forms of Molly Sisson (Rochester, Mass.) and Jocelyn Gesner. They join a guard group led by Olivia Fleming (Windham, N.H.) that is super versatile within a complex offense. NMH was a No. 1 seed for a reason and can avenge their own upset next March.
But the other three schools — Darrow, Wilbraham & Monson and Worcester Academy — are squarely in the mix. Darrow replaced their guard losses with several solid transfer additions and should maintain the defensive identity that vaulted them to the title game. WMA has nearly the exact same roster back and one of the class' most dominant stars in Caterina Ravosa (East Longmeadow, Mass.). Those schools are in my preseason Top 10 — which means I'm snubbing the reigning champion Hilltoppers.
Worcester Academy could make me look very silly, very fast. I think this team suffered the most impactful talent loss to graduation of the four, Dan Sullivan established himself as a high-level coach in Year 1, and the Hilltoppers should again feature a high-tempo, versatile offense. If we look beyond those four, Austin Prep and Marianapolis also bring back largely the same cores. If the players have leveled up, these programs might be ready to insert themselves into the title conversation.
CLASS RUNDOWN:Â Here's a look at every team in the Class AA field
Class A
The pick: Loomis Chaffee
Runner-up: Sacred Heart
Dark horse: Choate
Loomis Chaffee has owned this class for the last four years. Even with massive roster turnover, the Pelicans are still the best on paper and have a widely-respected coach in Adrian Stewart. Senior captains Izzy Cruz (Stafford Springs, Conn.) and Lauren Wright (East Hartford, Conn.) are Division 1 talents who step directly into the spotlight this year along with junior standout Leah McKenzie (Farmington, Conn.). I just don't see enough reason to pick against the Pelicans dynasty yet.
Sacred Heart remains the chief challenger, and with returning Defensive Player of the Year Eva Wilkerson leading the way, they have their best shot in a long time at toppling Loomis. I also think the second tier of Class A is stronger than in years past. Choate has a good group of guards and made splashes in transfer recruiting, and I hear a lot of buzz about young Milton Academy being ready for a collective leap. Add in perennial contenders Kent and Hotchkiss, and this should be a deeper playoff bracket.
Class B Large
The pick: Berkshire
Runner-up: Suffield
Dark horse: St. Luke's
Last year, Class B was an absolute nightmare to project in all the best ways because of the level of parity. It's still a deep class this winter, but I see clearer tiers of talent. Suffield and Berkshire both failed to reach the championship game as top-two seeds, but playoff seeding honestly felt random with how close every team was competitively. This year, I expect both programs to establish their places firmly and potentially meet in the final.
Berkshire brings back point guard Chloe Egan (Cotuit, Mass.) and high-upside center Pearl Dickson. The Bears fell in the final seconds of the semifinals to Rivers, but their defensive mindset should translate to this year. I do love Suffield's trio of Alannah Baehr (Colchester, Conn.), Sammi Santacroce (North Haven, Conn.), and Charlotte Theriault (Palmer, Mass.), though, and they have athletic guards in the Booth twins, JuJu and Jazzlyn (Hartford, Conn).
After those two, it's still a crowded field. St. Luke's, St. George's and Greens Farms all look strong, and though defending champion Rivers lost its leading stars, the team should still be in the playoff picture under coach Kenny Small Jr.
Class B Small
The pick: Hamden Hall
Runner-up: Kimball Union
Dark horse: Mount St. Charles
Of these championship picks, this might be my most confident choice. Hamden Hall looks loaded. The Hornets have an impact transfer guard in Maddie Benigni (Middletown, Conn.) who joins a strong backcourt with Reilly Chernovetz (Wallingford, Conn.) and Andrea Crump (Milford, Conn.). 2027 wing Alexa Huckaby (Bristol, Conn.) is underrated and should have an important two-way impact. This is a very deep squad for a B Small team and it might be a top-20 overall team in NEPSAC.
I'm projecting a rematch of last year's Class C championship here, and Kimball Union still has multiple solid pieces, led by the reigning NEPSGBCA Player of the Year, Nyasia Caban (Lawrence, Mass.). These two feel a cut above the rest of B Small, but Mount St. Charles and Cushing are two other schools I'm monitoring.
Class C
The pick: Berwick
Runner-up: Storm King
Dark horse: Vermont Academy
Class C, now the bottom rung in NEPSAC, is quite murky after this fall's reclassifications. Many of these schools are small programs that don't have girls teams established at the same level as other classes. We're taking a bit of a dart throw here, but I liked Berwick, which earned a No. 5 seed in the Class C playoffs last winter. Ella Smith (Rye, N.H.) can rain buckets and will be one of the best scorers in the class. Storm King drops all the way down from Class AA as it restructures its program. Vermont Academy lost in the Class D final last March.
