The NEPSAC season came to a dramatic conclusion with this past Sunday's championship games. On the boys side, we saw Newman prevail in a wild Class AAA overtime thriller, and Worcester Academy finish off a statement title run as a No. 5 seed. Williston Northampton capped its dominant Class A winter with a championship, and...
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The NEPSAC season came to a dramatic conclusion with this past Sunday's championship games.
On the boys side, we saw Newman prevail in a wild Class AAA overtime thriller, and Worcester Academy finish off a statement title run as a No. 5 seed. Williston Northampton capped its dominant Class A winter with a championship, and Alex Wilkins lifted Brooks to a stunning victory as a No. 6 seed.
The girls games brought similar theatrics. Brooke Golden's last-season hook shot lifted Tilton to the first Class AAA title in NEPSAC girls basketball. Worcester Academy and Rivers brought trophies to their first-year head coaches, which Loomis Chaffee secured its fourth straight championship in Class A.
There's a lot to unpack. Steve Hewitt, Ethan Fuller and contributor Matt Doherty reflected on their favorite moments and more.
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Highlights
What makes Brooks' Alex Wilkins built for clutch moments like his Class B game-winner?
Steve: "He's fearless. He's confident with the ball in his hands. ... He's done it time and again in the last couple of years at Brooks. His teammates trust him. (Coach) Kenya Jones is probably his biggest fan, just trusting him as the leader of this team. So I think that confidence goes a long way in those pressure moments."
Matt: "I mean, he's special. The game-winning shot was crazy. The shot clock was running down and it was like — they're not going to get a shot off. And then he just hoisted it and it went in. After the game he was like, 'Yeah, I kind of expected to make that,' and Kenya was like, 'I mean, he takes those shots all the time. He'll take them from anywhere on the court.'"
What impressed you most about Tilton's playoff run to a Class AAA title?
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Ethan: "Coach Tara Brisson said after (that) on paper they're not the most talented team. I mean, Nobles has a nationally ranked player who's gonna go be awesome in (Jasmyn) Cooper, and and another high-major player in (Ashley) Dinges and high mid major player in (Christina) Pham. They just beat Tabor on the road — a nationally ranked player, a couple high-major players on that team. And Tilton — this will change as some players get older and get more offers — but right now they don't have a Power Five commit on their roster, and for them to go out and win against both those teams, that was incredible."
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