It took a tumultuous winter and dramatic playoff run, but Berkshire holds a NEPSAC girls basketball trophy for the first time in 33 years.
The Bears defeated Lawrence Academy in overtime of the Class B Large championship game last March despite trailing for nearly the entirety of regulation. They weathered significant on-court and off-court adversity throughout the season.
This year brings a fresh slate, and a crowded group of B Large foes are hungry to take the title from the Bears. Do they have what it takes to repeat?
Here's how the defending champs are shaping up.
MORE TEAM PREVIEWS:Â Newman | Hoosac
State of the program
The championship served as a milestone, but Berkshire has been rising up the Class B Large ranks in recent seasons. Two years ago they made the Class B semifinals and lost to eventual champion Rivers on a Natalia Hall-Rosa layup in the final seconds.
Last year, Berkshire was my preseason title pick, but the road to Super Sunday was rocky. The Bears finished 22-6 and closed February strong, but had to claw through two road playoff games as a No. 7 seed. They beat Suffield and Brooks before the thrilling championship triumph at Nobles.
That title has since boosted buzz and interest around the program.
"I think our inquiries are up for sure, which is good," head coach Junior De Le Hoz said. "I think it's something where our program wasn't at that level four years ago when I took it over, and to see it actually manifest itself has been has been awesome."
The coach
De La Hoz has steered Berkshire to prominence in four years, arriving in 2022 after the Bears won just two games the previous season. He is also Berkshire's director of multicultural recruitment and assistant director of admission.
Previously, De La Hoz coached with the girls team at Proctor, helping them win Class C titles in 2016 and 2017. He earned our NEPSAC Class B Large Coach of the Year award following Berkshire's championship.
The star players
Berkshire returns its second-leading scorer in sharpshooting wing Lana Orietas. I highlighted her already this week as an underrated standout prospect in the 2028 class. Orietas averaged 11.5 points and eight rebounds in her first season as a Bear and seems to be more comfortable leading the team during the fall.
"She walked right into (competing for a title) last year, and this year, she's leading lifts. She's leading open gyms with Marcela (Sanz)," De La Hoz said. "I'm telling you, man, she's just really, really taking this to the next level and and leading by example, but also holding other kids accountable that need to be held accountable. And I love that."
Pearl Dickson is the Bears' top college prospect, a 6-foot-4 senior center committed to Niagara. It's been a daunting journey for Dickson, who left her family in Ghana to move to the United States and pursue basketball, but she's reached her goal of obtaining a Division 1 scholarship.
Now Dickson can focus on her last prep school season as the defensive anchor for Berkshire. She has special athletic gifts and is a monster shot-blocker who continues to work on building confidence and skill offensively. De La Hoz wants her to be more aggressive and demanding of the ball, but he's noticed she's willing to use her strength more.
"I think having the pressure off (after committing) really made her focus a little bit more, like, 'You know what? I've got to get stronger to play at the next level,'" he said. "She's gotten a lot stronger since the spring."
The under-the-radar players
After graduating Chloe Egan (who made our All-B Large First Team) and Alivia Mauer (who won B Large championship game MVP), Berkshire has significant holes to fill in its backcourt. But two of its most underrated contributors from last year are back.
Chloe O'Brien (Wakefield, Mass.) just announced her commitment to Bowdoin on Thursday. The senior was quietly pivotal down the stretch of Berkshire's championship season and looked in command during the NEPSAC Scholastic Showcase this summer, showing off tough driving scores and a high motor.
"Chloe's a winner, man," De La Hoz said. "Chloe came in and just does all the little things. She's a kid we didn't run one play for last year and (she) still averaged nine points a game."
In the same vein is Marcela Sanz, a senior from Puerto Rico. Sanz has turned coaches' heads during open gyms and was similarly a key guard and vocal leader on the road to last winter's title.
"Marcela was huge off the bench for us last year," De La Hoz said. "We don't know if she's gonna start or come off the bench, we don't know what that's gonna look like yet, but she's definitely one of our most important kids."
The newcomers
Berkshire brings in five total new faces. Two expected to make an impact quickly in some capacity: guards Maddy Greenaway and Maddie Becerra.
Greenaway, a 2029 guard from the Bronx, N.Y., stood out right away at the Scholastic Showcase with her straight-line speed and driving ability. Becerra, a 2028 guard from nearby Pleasantville, N.Y., uses strength and a crafty handle to create shots. Both are also multi-sport athletes, with Greenaway a starting forward in soccer and Becerra a lacrosse star.
De La Hoz believes the two will need to adjust to a more balanced Berkshire offense, but in time, they'll be leaders in the backcourt.
"I think it is going to take both of them some time to know the system and how we play, because they both come from a place where they had the ball in their hands the whole time, and that's not how we play here," he said. "We had seven kids last year average about 11-12 shots a game, and and it was pretty even across the board. So I think that's going to be a change, but we really play the right way offensively, and next best shot, next open shot, next open person is how we do it. But I think they can do it. I think their IQ is very high, so they will adapt to a different role."
The additional new Bears include Sofia Guete-Ramirez (Great Barrington, Mass.), Morgan Parnell (Orillia, Ontario, Canada) and Kayleigh Lambert (Waterbury, Conn.).
Our expectations
Class B Large typically boasts some of the best parity among the NEPSAC classes and that should remain true this year.
Berkshire belongs in the championship contender tier, though that tier is wide. The Bears will need to establish their guard rotation and figure out who the go-to playmakers are. But in general, this roster still has plenty of experience from last year's title team. They'll be one of the better defensive units in B Large with Dickson protecting the paint.
Other B Large teams like St. Luke's and Suffield have more talented individual stars. But Berkshire showed last year that its balanced approach can win a title, so I'm confident it has repeat potential, too.
