A wild Wednesday of NEPSAC quarterfinal games is in the books.
From 2 p.m. until about 7, the postseason gave us a show. We had a No. 8 seed upset a No. 1 seed — only the beginning of the Class B drama — a remarkable defensive effort in Class AA and a pair of back-and-forth matchups in Class AAA.
The 4 p.m. window was particularly chaotic; at one point there were as many as six important, competitive games happening at once. I was able to catch most of the big moments that defined each contest.
Here are 12 takeaways I have from the quarterfinals in classes AAA through B.
PLAYOFF SCHEDULES:Â Class AAAÂ |Â Class AAÂ |Â Class AÂ |Â Class B, C, D
Class AAA
1. Elyse Ngenda is unfazed by pressure. The junior guard from Bedford, N.H., gave the best performance of the day, compiling 26 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists in fifth-seeded New Hampton's 61-51 victory over fourth-seeded Hoosac. She rarely seemed uncomfortable, even as New Hampton built leads, saw them slip and ultimately ended on a 14-3 run.
Ngenda sliced through Hoosac in transition with coast-to-coast bucket and dump-off assists. I was most impressed with her various finishing angles around the basket as well as her floaters. Ngenda knows when to attack space and can control her body through off-angle layups. Once she gets to the second level of the defense, she's dangerous with her natural touch and vision to drive and kick out to shooters.
2. New Hampton vs. Hoosac was the only game I watched in full, for multiple reasons: it was a great game, it was the first game of the day, and it mostly didn't overlap with other contests. Aside from Ngenda's brilliance, I was impressed with how Serenity Lancaster (15 points) opened and closed this game with decisive attacks out of the post. I think that's when she's at her best, and she'll need to do that for a full 32 minutes for New Hampton to have a shot against top-seeded Nobles. Tahlia Pena (Nashua, N.H.) also deserves a shoutout for playing from great perimeter defense against a talented Hoosac backcourt.
Hoosac, ends its season but played well, rallying from a double-digit deficit to briefly take the lead in the fourth quarter. Anna Moser (Rutland, Vt.) led with 16 points, but I thought 2026 forward Uliana Doronina was the most impactful player for her work containing Lancaster and her 12 points, largely off of cuts.
3. It's hard to beat a team three times, and Tilton re-learned that lesson Wednesday. The third-seeded Rams and sixth-seeded Dexter Southfield engaged in a tug-of-war early, with Dexter even leading, 43-42, after three quarters. Then Colleen Phiri (Haverhill, Mass.) took over the fourth quarter with powerful driving scores and post moves to help Tilton pull away for a 62-51 victory.
Phiri finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds. The guard duo of Bela Cucuta (14 points, four assists) and Maddie McCaffery (10 points, seven assists) also provided sparks. Cucuta hit a deep 3-pointer that made it a 53-47 game and swung momentum permanently toward Tilton.
4. Tabor is ready for battle. The second-seeded Seawolves stormed past seventh-seeded St. Andrew's following a close first quarter, ultimately cruising to a 70-42 win behind 16 points from Ava Black (Auburn, N.H.) and 15 from Kaelyn Carroll (Dedham, Mass.). Now we get a thrilling rubber match between Tabor and Tilton. Outside of the Class AAA title game, this might be the best matchup in the entire NEPSAC postseason.
Class AA
1. If you didn't already know, Darrow's defense is dangerous. The Ducks held Newman to just 11 first-half points, rendering the Cardinals' second-half comeback attempt meaningless in a 53-45 win. They switch on a lot of actions and their guards handle it very well, then they have a ton of size in the frontcourt that protects the paint. Darrow had another different leading scorer on offense: Maddie Pepra Omani with 14 points (four 3-pointers). Their growing cache of scoring options has me feeling even more intrigued about a semifinal matchup with top-seeded Northfield Mount Hermon.
2. Wilbraham and Monson avenged a Jan. 15 loss with a statement, 75-56 win against Austin Prep. Though AP missed Angel Efosa due to injury, the Titans deserve a ton of credit for their opening 18-8 run and their strong second-half close, Selah Prignano (Newington, Conn.) played much better this time around, scoring 18 points. Hannah Grudzien (Brooklyn, Conn.) tallied 11 and played her typical underrated versatile defense. And star 2026 center Caterina Ravosa (East Longmeadow, Mass.) once again led with 28. That included some decisive spin moves and drives out of the post, where she again shined in a great individual battle against Fope Ayo (24 points, 15 rebounds). WMA handed second-seeded Worcester Academy its only Class AA loss way back in the season opener, so that's another fun semifinal.
Class A
1. We'll lump the four Class A games together because they went chalk as expected. Loomis Chaffee cruised in a 70-28 victory against Phillips Andover and Sacred Heart kept Milton Academy at arm's length in a 63-46 win. Kent and Hotchkiss got tested, with Kent prevailing 59-51 over Choate and Hotchkiss winning a back-and-forth, 63-59 contest against Thayer. Now we get the exact same semifinal matchups as last season: top-seeded Loomis vs. fourth-seeded Hotchkiss and second-seeded Sacred Heart vs. third-seeded Kent. Kent beat Sacred Heart earlier this season and in last year's semifinal, so both sides will have plenty of motivation this time around.
Class B
1. St. George's showed composure befitting the reigning class champion in upsetting top-seeded Suffield, 52-40. Even when shots weren't falling for both teams, the Dragons had a better defense that shut off Suffield's driving lanes and easy ball movement, forcing them to rely on threes. Their guards, Emily Ryan (15 points) and Gianna Nichols (12 points) took command on offense by attacking and breaking down the defense to get layups or draw fouls. Veteran leaders like senior Molly Donovan (Duxbury, Mass.) made hustle plays to secure extra possessions; Donovan also connected twice with cutter Payton Scurry (Warwick, R.I.) for big second-half layups. First-year head coach Angelina Marazzi had a great gameplan in her first playoff win. Consider the Dragons legitimate title threats once again.
2. Cam Nelson is the ultimate X-factor in these Class B playoffs. The Syracuse-bound point guard from Greenwich, Conn., dropped 30 points on Lawrence Academy, helping St. Luke's control a 69-54 road win as the No. 5 seed. The Storm also got solid efforts from senior Emma Sollenne (11 points) and 2026 wing Grace Kearney (11 points). Nelson is most threatening as a driving scorer and playmaker; now she'll be but to the test in the semifinals against a St. George's squad that just limited those types of opportunities.
3. I'll take an L for the Rivers-Greens Farms matchup. It was a competitive battle, but I picked Greens Farms to win and undersold the power of Rivers' seniors. Specfically, Princeton-bound wing Grace O'Sullivan (Acton, Mass.) was on another level, posting 27 points in a 53-45 victory that saw the Red Wings inch away in the second half. Sullivan can fill in any role whenever Rivers needs her: as an active team defender, a cutter, a lead ball-handler or a knockdown shooter. She hit a massive deep 3 to make it 46-40 late in the game, then had a sharp back cut and was found by Natalia Hall-Rosa (12 points) for a layup.
O'Sullivan and Hall-Rosa work so well on and off the ball, and credit to first-year coach Kenny Small Jr. for leaning on those skills in this win. Senior forward Chase Anderson (seven points, 11 rebounds, six blocks, six steals) also deserves a shoutout for her critical extra-effort boards and huge defensive game.
4. Every time I watch Berkshire, Chloe Egan makes another great impression. The 2026 guard from Cotuit, Mass., logged 23 points, four rebounds and four assists to help Berkshire win against Beaver in a game that was closer than the 50-38 score indicates. Egan's such a calm, steady lead guard who playmakes without taking over possessions. When I watched, she had a few strong crossover drives and played off two feet on some layup buckets. She's a confident perimeter shooter and she makes the right extra passes, including one in crunch time to a teammate for a dagger 3-point make. Berkshire vs. Rivers in the semifinals will be yet another great game.
5. A final general takeaway: four of the 16 teams in the AAA-B semifinals have first-year head coaches. This includes two teams I picked against in the quarterfinals (Rivers and St. George's). I think my lesson learned would be that though coaching certainly matters, these are four great NEPSAC coaches already, and player experience can be what stabilizes a team in these tense moments.
Rivers and St. George's are led by experienced seniors. So is Darrow with first-year coach Abby Streeter, even though many of those upperclassmen are new to the program. Worcester Academy and first-year coach Dan Sullivan should also feel confident with seniors like Elyse MacDonough (South Burlington, Vt.) and Saige Youngberg (Wales, Mass.) leading the way. We'll see who of the four can lead their teams to a championship appearance.
