New Hampton might have finished 15-11 and made the NEPSAC Class AA playoffs last season, but the road to get there was challenging.
The Huskies leaned heavily on underclassmen who went head-to-head against many of the region's stars. Coach Jamie Bavaro often had to remind her younger players to be patient with their development.
"A lot of the times, the frustrations were just not getting things right away or just being undersized, not as strong or experienced, where we had to take a step back," she said. "Listen, we are growing in this way, it's our own pace. We made playoffs, we had a great season, but realistically, we still need to make sure that we are improving each day, and in the right way in how we do things."
This year, New Hampton is still young, but more experienced and primed for a collective leap forward. Here's what to watch for from one of the seven teams in the new AAA class.
Serenity Lancaster is the big addition
Lancaster, a 6-foot-1 junior forward from New London, Conn., is among the biggest stars transferring to NEPSAC. She dominated in Connecticut last season with eye-popping averages of 22 points, 13 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 3.3 blocks.
Lancaster already boasts double-digit Division 1 offers from schools including St. John's, Fairfield, Seton Hall and more, and will immediately be a centerpiece for New Hampton. Bavaro praised Lancaster for her selflessness as she integrates into a team mostly made of returners.
"She has been awesome just working with her team and the people around her, and knowing when's the best time for her to obviously score and look for herself, but to get others involved too," she said. "So that's really impressed me. I mean, she's super athletic. She can run the floor well."
Lancaster was one of the NEPSAC Scholastic Showcase standouts in June. She immediately showed off her versatility; Lancaster is a tenacious two-way post player, but she can also dribble and drive in the open floor and even knock down spot-up 3s.
"To be able to catch the ball and rebound the basketball on the defensive end, and push it for herself — she can handle the ball pretty well," Bavaro said. "So that's huge for us, to not have to rely on an outlet for a point guard, (and) for us then to push and to start our offense quick."
Elyse Ngenda and Casey Stores can get buckets
Who steps up as a go-to scorer when New Hampton needs one? Lancaster will have some responsibility, but it will also fall on Ngenda (Bedford, N.H.), who is soaring after a fantastic spring and summer.
Ngenda, a 5-foot-8 junior guard with a handful of Division 1 offers herself, already earned NEPSAC AA All-Star recognition after averaging 15 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. But Bavaro believed Ngenda would play timid at times even when she had the green light to score. She's now noticing a significant confidence boost.
"She is very capable of taking over a game, whereas last year and the year before, maybe not as much with confidence," Bavaro said. "But I do think she's so confident now that we're going to see a lot of that. So just changing the way the game (flows) — if she doesn't like the way it's happening, 'All right, I'm gonna go down and I'm just gonna get a bucket because that's what we need,' rather than going through the motions."
Ngenda and Lancaster are the projected top options, but expect Stores (Bellingham, Mass.) to add another scoring presence. The 2027 guard struggled early in her freshman year at the NEPSAC level but showed flashes as the winter progressed, including a 20-plus-point outburst at the Nickerson Tournament. Like Ngenda, Stores also capitalized on a strong summer, earning her first offer from UNH.
Stores' perimeter shooting prowess helps expand the New Hampton offense. She could play in the backcourt beside Ngenda or move down to the wing.
"Depending on how we play, whether it might be like a 1-2, or pushing Casey to the 3 to get to get down the court first, and then we throw to her — that's kind of what we're going to work through," Bavaro said. "She's someone that definitely we're going to lean on for her scoring ability this year."
Upside on defense
With the leading scorers apparent, plus a pair of dynamic shooters in 2027 classmates Abby Schrader (Winchester, Mass.) and Shannon O'Leary (Marshfield, Mass.), New Hampton rounds out its rotation with a cast of plus defenders.
Bavaro called Ava Perry (Groveland, Mass.) a breakout player to watch. The 2027 wing started nearly every game last year and made an early impact on defense with her length, often guarding larger opposing forwards.
"We actually had her at the 3-4 last year where she really is like a 2-3, but she her size, her length — like her wingspan is is awesome, and her rebounding ability and just athleticism," Bavaro said. "She defends very well, which is really helpful for us, especially when we're undersized like last year."
The Huskies also bring back a trio of senior guards who can defend and rebound in Tahlia Pena, Adriana Hernandez and Kitt Jones. Jones in particular could be a game-altering piece. Though injuries have derailed Jones in recent seasons, Bavaro lauded her as one of the best defenders in NEPSAC.
"We had her on Ahnay Adams last year for the first game (against Tilton) — we didn't have her for the second game unfortunately – and she just caused havoc," Bavaro said. "She's just up in everyone's faces, she forces turnovers, she's awesome. So we're really hoping that she can stay healthy and be with us for the most of the year."
