After months of previewing, speculating and building hype, we have arrived at the NEPSAC girls basketball season.
Though several boys teams have started playing in recent weeks, we'll see the first handful of girls teams in action during the coming days, including at the NMH Tip-Off Classic this weekend. Then the schedule truly kicks into high gear after Thanksgiving.
It's time to plant some flags. We're predicting the champion in every class and explaining what separates our title picks from the pack. This was an excruciating exercise; most classes don't have a clear favorite to win it all. But I'm confident enough to stand on these selections when the postseason rolls around.
That being said — this is also free bulletin board material. Here are our predictions:
MORE: Preseason All-New England team | NEPSAC Power Rankings
Class AAA
The pick:Â Tabor
Runner-up: Nobles
Dark horse: Tilton
There's a reason Tabor starts atop our NEPSAC power rankings. The Seawolves are simply the best roster on paper, blending elite star power (seniors Ava Black, Kaelyn Carroll and Olivia Rodrigues) with loaded depth that includes high-profile transfers like Corinne Lomax. Last year, health got in the way of the Seawolves and they still made the Class AA semifinals. They're three years removed from their last championship and have the talent and experience to make it back to the top.
But it's dangerous to pick against Nobles. The Bulldogs are the back-to-back reigning champs and they wield the senior Big Three to match Tabor in Jasmyn Cooper, Ashley Dinges and Christina Pham. Longtime coach Alex Gallagher will still need to replace most of last year's juggernaut rotation, but he has options, led by freshman standout Aliyah Allston-Pujols.
The four Class AA semifinalists from last year — also including Tilton and Dexter Southfield — appear to be the frontrunners in the new Class AAA. Among the four, Tilton might be getting underrated. Despite graduating the Class AA Player of the Year in Ahnay Adams, the Rams don't have to take a step back. They have plenty of leadership returning from last year's runner-up roster, including a horde of six impact seniors led by Colleen Phiri and a top transfer guard in junior Bela Cucuta.
REVENGE TOUR:Â Tabor's star trio wants to remind you of its greatness
Class AA
The pick:Â Northfield Mount Hermon
Runner-up: Wilbraham and Monson
Dark horse: Storm King
Class AA is wide open after the eight playoff teams from last season left for new divisions. It's unclear who will take command early in the season, but by March, I expect Northfield Mount Hermon's new-look roster with eight transfers to have built enough chemistry for the postseason. That being said, Wilbraham and Monson has the most championship pedigree in the class after winning last year's Class C title. The Titans, led by star juniors Caterina Ravosa and Selah Prignano, could make the three-class leap look easy.
With several new teams, new coaches and revamped programs, Class AA has plenty of uncertainty. That could favor a team like Storm King, led by second-year coach Tian Tang, who has already been through the first-year NEPSAC learning curve. Storm King only had eight players on the roster last season, but still finished 12-11, and has 12 players for this winter.
AA CAPSULES: Team-by-team previews for the 10 Class AA squads
Class A
The pick:Â Loomis Chaffee
Runner-up: Hotchkiss
Dark horse: Sacred Heart
Loomis Chaffee chases a four-peat in Class A, and there's little reason to doubt this roster, headlined by preseason All-New England center Alicia Mitchell. The Springfield, Mass., native is backed by a team heavy on senior leadership and tough-nosed defenders, including Class A tournament MVP Abby Congdon. Loomis is the heavy favorite, but Hotchkiss has a pair of Division 1 prospects leading the way in Bucknell commit Kaila Richards and Morgan Jenkins, who intends to join the 2026 class. Last year's runner-up Kent and semifinalist Sacred Heart should remain in the championship conversation.
MORE:Â Introducing the preseason All-NEPSAC Class A team
Class B
The pick:Â Rivers
Runner-up: St. Luke's
Dark horse: Greens Farms
Class B was the most difficult to select a champion with the depth of legitimate contenders among the 29 schools. Rivers gets the very slight edge for me after moving down from Class AA. Though Kenny Small Jr. is a new coach, he has NEPSAC experience after previously coaching at Middlesex. I also believe Rivers' core four stars — Natalia Hall-Rosa, Grace O'Sullivan, Narissa Smith and Chase Anderson — are the best quartet in the class.
However, there are a few valid title choices. St. Luke's features the reigning Class B Player of the Year in Cam Nelson, plus a potential breakout star in Olivia White and a talented 3-and-D transfer wing in Grace Kearney. Do not overlook Greens Farms, led by High Point commit Cheyenne Brand and 2027 prospect LaLa Goode, who I expect to take a significant leap forward. And I didn't even get to list defending Class B champ St. George's, which has much of the same roster under new head coach Angelina Marazzi. The Dragons could easily make me look foolish for not selecting them to repeat.
MORE:Â Introducing the preseason All-NEPSAC Class B team
Class C
The pick:Â Hamden Hall
Runner-up: Kimball Union
Dark horse: Holderness
When we get down to the lower classes, star talent can make a big difference. That puts Hamden Hall in a great spot after losing to Holderness in overtime of the quarterfinals last winter. Maine commit Mackenzie Mori returns as last year's Class C Player of the Year, and so does Dartmouth commit Emma Olausson. UMass Lowell-bound senior Tyanna Medina should be more comfortable in her second NEPSAC season at Kimball Union.
Class D
The pick:Â Watkinson
Runner-up: Rocky Hill
Dark horse: Vermont Academy
Watkinson was the top seed in last year's Class D tournament but got upset by fourth-seeded Vermont Academy in the semifinals. The Rams can bounce back though with their 1,000-point scorer and Player of the Year, Eva Giannini, returning for senior year. Though Rocky Hill lost some key transfers, I expect the defending champion to remain in the hunt, along with finalist Vermont Academy.
