Unlike most other NEPSAC classes that are defined by change, the girls Class A tournament looks very similar to last season.
The top five seeds are exactly the same. Seven of the eight playoff teams appeared in last year's postseason. And the big question remains the same: Can anyone take down Loomis Chaffee?
The Pelicans are on the hunt for a fourth consecutive championship. They're well-equipped, and if they make it to the final, they'll even have home court advantage as hosts of Super Sunday on March 9.
That being said, Class A has plenty of talent at the top of the bracket that looks to shake things up. Here's a rundown of each team in the field.
MORE CLASS BREAKDOWNS:Â Class AAA field | Class AA field | Class B field
Video: Ethan and Steve analyze the brackets
1. Loomis Chaffee (22-3)
Record against Class A field:Â 6-0
Loomis Chaffee's three losses this winter have come against Class AAA frontrunners: Nobles, Tabor and Tilton. Otherwise, it's hard to find fault with the Pelicans' season on paper.
What makes them so good? A lockdown defense rooted in a zone base that no team can quite seem to crack. Eight seniors who lead a roster loaded with size and athleticism. Columbia-bound center Alicia Mitchell (Springfield, Mass.) is the head of the snake, and Tufts-bound point guard Abby Congdon (West Hartford, Conn.) is the heart. But there are too many interchangeable impact contributors between the two to list here. Loomis Chaffee's talent and discipline is overwhelming, which makes it tough to pick against the Pelicans.
PLAYOFF SCHEDULES: Class AAA | Class AA | Class A | Class B, C, D
2. Sacred Heart (19-4)
Record against Class A field:Â 3-2
Sacred Heart played Loomis Chaffee close in a 43-33 loss on Jan. 31. Coach Ayo Hart leads another squad that relies on defense to keep an opponent close its talented guards and wings take games into their hands.
Eva Wilkerson has returned from injury, and for a combo guard, she's a monster rebounder and double-double threat at 5-foot-10. Arkansas commit Aisha Salem Hassan has transferred from Egypt and made an impact at point guard. I'd keep an eye on Lucianna Parrotta, one of NEPSAC's top 2027 players, too. Sacred Heart did also drop a 52-48 contest Jan. 17 against Kent but hasn't lost since the Loomis result.
3. Kent (12-6)
Record against Class A field:Â 3-2
Kent made last year's championship and gave Loomis Chaffee a quality result in a 47-39 defeat.
This year, they're back in contention. Kent had a bumpy start to the season but rides a six-game winning streak into the tournament. That includes victories over Sacred Heart and Choate, a win against a good Class B St. Luke's team, and most notably, a 59-55 triumph over Class AA top seed Northfield Mount Hermon.
Backcourt play steers this ship. Celeste Harper is an impact transfer committed to Manhattan College, and Morgan Johnson is an Assumption commit and veteran program leader. A potential semifinal matchup with Sacred Heart would be intriguing given both teams' guard depth, defense, and the fact that Kent won the earlier head-to-head meeting.
4. Hotchkiss (17-3)
Record against Class A field:Â 3-2
Hotchkiss has surprised me with its consistency in Langston Ross' first season as head coach and second year at the school.
The only blips on the radar came in the season opener (a 58-53 loss to Sacred Heart) and in the last two weeks with losses against Northfield Mount Hermon and Loomis Chaffee. In between, Hotchkiss built a 16-game win streak, including victories against Kent and Choate as well as Class B powers Berkshire, Suffield and Greens Farms.
Hotchkiss' two NEPSGBCA All-Stars — Kaila Richards and Morgan Jenkins (Wigganum, Conn.) are two of the conference's true standouts. Richards, a Bucknell commit, is a relentless scoring guard who Ross lauded for her quiet yet determined work ethic. Jenkins, a 2026 reclass forward, has been dominating with double-double performances all season. At 6-foot-2, she protects the rim and scores inside and in the mid-range at a high level. Both stars cleared 1,000 career points this season.
5. Thayer (14-10)
Record against Class A field:Â 2-4
As a member of the Independent School League, Thayer plays one of the toughest schedules in Class A, including facing Class AA and AAA opponents.
Three of the Tigers' four losses against playoff teams were by 10 points or less, and they squeaked out a 51-49 win over Milton Academy on Feb. 21. Thayer also scored a 51-48 victory against Class B playoff team Lawrence Academy. Seniors Jasmine James (Norfolk, Mass.) and Elle Grant (Canton, Mass.) are returning NEPSGBCA All-Stars from last season who remain steady contributors, and Thayer has also been boosted by the growth of 5-foot-8 guard and track athlete Cassidy Mullin (Quincy, Mass.).
6. Choate (13-9)
Record against Class A field:Â 2-4
Despite having just one senior on the roster, Choate has stayed competitive and improved its playoff seeding by one spot from a year ago.
I got to watch this team a bit during the Nickerson Showcase at Nobles back in December. That lone senior, Anisa Akinola, is a smart, high-motor wing who fights for rebounds, plays well within a team defense and can knock down 3-pointers. Guards Abby Kim (Berlin, Conn.) and Sky Burke (Meriden, Conn.) are both underrated as scorers and playmakers. It's going to be a challenge for Choate to upset Kent in the quarterfinals, but they played close in a 51-41 loss recently on Feb. 26.
7. Milton Academy (12-12)
Record against Class A field:Â 0-2
Milton Academy has secured a milestone Class A playoff ticket, its first in 11 years.
The intrigue with the Mustangs obviously comes from them having played just two Class A playoff opponents all season: the aforementioned 51-49 loss to Thayer and a 48-42 defeat against Phillips Andover. They struggled against the better teams on their ISL schedule but did notch wins against solid Class B programs in Groton and Brooks (twice).
I watched that first Brooks matchup, a 46-41 win, at the Nickerson Showcase. I was impressed there by 2026 point guard Ella Trefethen (Bow, N.H.), but Milton Academy has had different contributors step up in different games, including 2026 forward Reagan Vaughan (Milton, Mass.) and 2028 guard Anjolie Abelard (Milton, Mass.). This is a super young roster with five freshmen and only two seniors; the Mustangs seem to be building in the right direction.
8. Phillips Andover (12-13)
Record against Class A field:Â 1-4
Andover sneaks into the postseason as the eighth seed for a second consecutive season.
After starting 1-4, the team slowly found its footing and ended the regular season with four wins in its last five games, including two victories in the NE8 Tournament and a culminating, 57-34 triumph over rival Phillips Exeter on Saturday. The name to note is freshman Jules Stevenson (Beverly, Mass.). A 5-5 point guard, Stevenson drilled a program-record seven 3s en route to 29 points back on Jan. 29 against St. Paul's. She has pretty ridiculous shooting range and is also solid taking defenders off the dribble.
