After approximately two weeks of break, the NEPSAC season now kicks into high gear.
A handful of teams returned over the weekend, including six as part of the Shooting Touch Showcase at Nobles. But the vast majority of prep schools get back to basketball sometime this week.
I have a long list of matchups I'm excited to see throughout the rest of the regular season. These 10 catch my eye for a few reasons: either they present a meeting of top teams, a noteworthy individual player battle or a chance for fast-rising squads to prove themselves.
Let the two-month race to the playoffs begin.
Jan. 8: Hamden Hall at Sacred Heart (4:45 p.m.)
We return from the holidays with somewhat of a sleeper matchup. I'm watching for a Class A program to emerge as the leading challenger to Loomis Chaffee, and 6-2 Sacred Heart could be the pick. Hamden Hall has been demolishing its less competitive opponents in Class C and even took a 45-43 loss to Class AA frontrunner Northfield Mount Hermon. I'm interested to see what both teams are made of.
Jan. 12: Darrow at Newman (2:00 p.m.)
A year ago, Darrow was a tiny Class D program and Newman's girls team didn't exist. Now the two schools are not only in Class AA — they're legitimate postseason threats. Darrow boasts an older, more experienced roster that has bogged down opponents with its defense. Newman, meanwhile, plays an entertaining brand of offense fueled by a high volume of 3-pointers. This is a prove-it matchup as both schools continue establishing legitimacy in NEPSAC.
Jan. 15: Wilbraham and Monson at Austin Prep (6:15 p.m.)
This contest includes one of my most highly-anticipated individual matchups of the next two months. Austin Prep center Fope Ayo (Methuen, Mass.), the No. 40-ranked 2026 player in the country, will go head-to-head against classmate and new Mass Rivals AAU teammate Caterina Ravosa (East Longmeadow, Mass.). Ayo is an intimidating rim-protector and Ravosa has been bullying opponents in the post most of the winter. Seeing these two forces collide should be fun.
Jan. 17: Nobles at Tabor (5:15 p.m.)
Circle it in red, put a reminder in your phone, do whatever you need to do to remember this date. The two best teams in New England meet for the first time this winter in Marion, Mass. It's also the first time we'll see the schools' Big Threes (Kaelyn Carroll, Ava Black and Liv Rodrigues for Tabor; Christina Pham, Jasmyn Cooper and Ashley Dinges for Nobles) go head-to-head in two years. Tabor is ranked atop my power rankings, so they're my implied pick to win at home, but this is a toss-up game on paper. The AAA rivals have the rematch set for Jan. 29 at Nobles (4:30 p.m.).
Jan. 25: Hoosac at New Hampton (2:00 p.m.)
New Hampton sits fifth in our NEPSAC girls power rankings and Hoosac has recently risen to sixth. This Class AAA matchup should be a treat. I want to see how Hoosac plans to use its frontcourt size to slow down dynamic Huskies forward Serenity Lancaster (New London, Conn.). We've also got elite guards going at it: Carolina Williams (Valatie, N.Y.) and Anna Moser (Rutland, Vt.) on Hoosac vs. Elyse Ngenda (Bedford, N.H.) and Casey Stores (Bellingham, Mass.) on New Hampton.
Feb. 1: Rivers at Middlesex (2:30 p.m.)
This showdown has an extra layer: Rivers coach Kenny Small Jr. returns to Middlesex, the school he previously coached at before abruptly leaving for the Red Wings job in September. Both teams have something to prove, and it's also a quality Class B matchup on paper. Rivers (8-2) just scored a big win against Dexter Southfield in the Shooting Touch Showcase on Saturday, and Middlesex returns from winter break at 6-1.
Feb. 1: Greens Farms at Berkshire (2:30 p.m.)
Let's get to some more Class B contenders. Greens Farms and Berkshire are both undefeated and rapidly rising in the class hierarchy. Dannie Powell became the Greens Farms coach a week before the season started, but that hasn't slowed the 7-0 team. Berkshire, meanwhile, comes out of break 8-0 with quality wins against St. George's, Cushing and Mount St. Charles. Class B has so many championship hopefuls; this will be a litmus test for both teams.
Feb. 1: Loomis Chaffee at Northfield Mount Hermon (4:00 p.m.)
Most of the best upcoming NEPSAC contests are between class rivals, but this is a somewhat uncommon inter-class matchup for this late in the season. Northfield Mount Hermon and Loomis Chaffee are fourth and seventh in our power rankings, respectively. They've separated themselves as favorites in their class title hunts. This battle also presents an entertaining individual matchup between two quick point guards in Olivia Fleming (Northfield Mount Hermon) and Abby Congdon (Loomis Chaffee).
Feb. 14: Tabor at Tilton (6:30 p.m.)
I'm very intrigued by this rematch after Tilton clawed back from a big deficit to only lose 62-50 at Tabor in December. The Seawolves have to make the long trip up from the south coast of Massachusetts to central New Hampshire to play a Rams team with a reputation for improving over the course of a season. Whoever wins earns serious late-winter momentum before the AAA playoffs.
Feb. 21: Hoosac at Dexter Southfield (3:30 p.m.)
Dexter Southfield has a daunting schedule ahead, including most of its Class AAA matchups. All of those games should be exciting, but I'll be wanting to see how the young roster looks by the time the playoffs roll around. This is Dexter's last AAA game of the season; will the team be ready to face more experienced tournament foes like Hoosac? In contrast, will Hoosac be more than a postseason spoiler? We'll see.
