For much of last winter, Northfield Mount Hermon was on top of NEPSAC girls Class AA and sailed into the postseason with a No. 1 seed.
But then Darrow traveled to NMH and stunned them in a semifinal upset. The 44-36 loss underscored a theme for the season, as NMH was an almost-but-not-quite juggernaut that could take some of NEPSAC's best teams, but also struggled with inconsistency.
"We would beat New Hampton and then have a really close one with a team who wasn't really at our level, and I think that was kind of the story of our season. We were incredibly talented, and I think at the end of the day, we got outworked a little bit," coach Grace Rehnquist said. "And I think that has been a mindset for our team this year, is that we want to be a little bit tougher, a little bit more resilient, a little grittier, so that we don't just need to solely rely on our talent to win games.
The returning group is motivated to change the tone this winter. Northfield Mount Hermon should again rank as one of NEPSAC's top programs regardless of class. Here's why they believe that will translate to a championship.
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Olivia Fleming's leadership evolution
Last year, after NMH had graduated star Dani Ceseretti, Fleming (Windhm, N.H.) stepped up as a lead guard to run the offense. She was also designated the sole team captain since many of NMH's upperclassmen were transfers. But Rehnquist had full faith in Fleming, who is on track to clear 1,000 career points and take over as the program's all-time assist leader.
"With so many new upperclassmen, it was hard to really pick another leader of the group, so Olivia kind of held that mantle by herself," Rehnquist said. "Obviously she had support from other kids in kind of the day-to-day leadership, but she was the sole captain, and I was proud of how she took that to task and made it an identity for her. And she's kind of taken what happened last year personally, and she's come back this year with a new sense of confidence (and) a new sense of leadership with another really new team."
Fleming's season stats were strong — 11.7 points, five rebounds, three assists and 2.2 steals per game — but they don't jump off the page. The Lehigh-bound point guard earned NEPSGBCA's Class AA Player of the Year award and made our All-Class AA First Team because her impact carries far beyond the box score.
Rehnquist explained that Fleming is involved in practically every offensive action, even if it doesn't get her a bucket, and that her competitive spirit sets a standard for the rest of the team. She's also an unparalleled student of the game.
"The person who knows the offense the best, besides me, is Olivia Fleming. She watches more film than any kid I've ever coached," Rehnquist said. "She's giving me scouts days in advance because that's how much she cares about it. That's how competitive she is."
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A versatile backourt punch
Fleming leads a backcourt loaded with contrasting talents.
Zariah Ottley (Rockland, Mass.), a 2027 guard who generated some Division 1 interest over the summer, is one of the more unique playmakers in NEPSAC at large, with an ability to overpower defenders in the mid-range and post while also catching fire behind the arc. Rehnquist also praised Ottley's passing ability and basketball I.Q. and expects to hand more of the reins to her as a floor general in transition, with Fleming continuing to orchestrate in the half-court.
"I always say kids are either a Tweet, an article or a book. A kid, that's a tweet — you watch them one time, you're like, 'Yeah, that kid's this level. They're this good. I get it right away.' An article, you need to take a little bit more time, a few more games," she said. "And then (Zariah) is a book. You watch her one time, you're like, 'Oh, I'm interested. I want to keep seeing (more).' And then you keep reading, keep reading, and you don't want to put her down. That is my experience with her."
Ottley pairs well with 2026 guard Breena Hannon (East Providence, R.I.), who Rehnquist labeled as the team's top defender. Hannon often met the challenge defending post players as a 5-foot-9 guard last season. Like Ottley, she can attack smaller matchups in the mid-range or step out to shoot 3s. And the breakout candidate on the squad might be 2027 sharpshooter Meg Allbee (Westminster, Vt.), whose consistency behind the arc helped her start close to half of the team's contests.
With these leaders and some important frontcourt transfers, Rehnquist feels her offense has more options than in recent seasons.
"I think we're really versatile. We don't have the ability for a team to just take away one player," she said. "If a team wants to focus solely on Olivia and take her out of our offense, that doesn't scare us like it would have maybe in years past."
Fortifying the frontcourt
Northfield Mount Hermon had frontcourt talent last winter. Grace Minihane was an instant-impact transfer who's now at Navy, and Ava Hoy's passing and 3-point shooting as a center helped her earn a spot at La Salle. But both of those graduates were more perimeter-oriented and less physically imposing. That changes with NMH adding two of NEPSAC's most significant transfers.
Molly Sisson (Rochester, Mass.) is well-known in prep circles already after previously shining at St. Andrew's. The Eastern Michigan commit is a 6-foot-3 forward who can outmuscle opponents inside and make smart passes from the post.
"Molly's my first true back-to-the-basket, high-level post player in quite some time," Rehnquist said. "I've had a lot of kids who play inside-out, but Molly's comfort with her back to the basket and taking up space in the middle just kind of gives us new looks offensively that we haven't had. It gives us a little bit more flexibility on defense as well."
Rehnquist mentioned that NMH runs a lot of offense from the elbows and high post, and Sisson should help alleviate the burden that previously fell on playmakers like Ottley and Hannon. They'll also have a new weapon to pass to: Jocelyn Gesner, a 6-foot-3 2027 forward from Chapel Hill, N.C.
Gesner, who transfers from Blair Academy in New Jersey, can light up the 3-point arc and run the floor hard for her size. She already holds eight mid-major Div. 1 offers.
"She stretches the floor incredibly well. People have to respect her around the rim and from the perimeter, so she'll be a tough cover because of her size," Rehnquist said. "If they go small, Jocelyn is very comfortable throwing herself into the paint and being the primary post option."
Rehnquist is also watching for 2028 transfer forwards Mariah Matias and Zoe Hunter to develop into impact contributors. With some more guard experience in senior Larea Jean-Ross (Concord, Mass.) and transfer Kiki Gable (Marblehead, Mass.), Rehnquist believes she can have a legitimate 10-girl rotation.
"I think in my previous years I've had, 'This kid does X, This kid does y, This kid does Z.' And now we have a bunch of kids who can do a lot of things," she said. "I also think teams are going to be changing what they do against us. A lot of teams would just sit in a zone against us, and I don't think they're going to be able to do that this year."
