NEPSAC Crowns Champions

Sunday, March 3rd, 2019

The New England Prep School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) crowned their champions on Sunday with Classes A, AA, and AAA at Western New England College and Classes D, C, and B at Clark. 

Class D - New York Military Academy 72 Rocky Hill 58

The top seeded NYMA succesfully defended last year's championship to take their second consecutive Class D crown. Xavier Gibbs scored 20 points and was awarded the game's MVP while Jaylden Davis had 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 assists. 8th grader Jeannot Basima added 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 blocks.

Class C - Hyde 64 Winchendon 55

After setting the bar in Class C all season long, Hyde punctuated a big year with their latest NEPSAC championship on Sunday. They pushed a 13 point halftime lead to 20+ early in the second-half, but Winchendon refused to go away without a fight. Junior guard Aidan Carpenter scored 23 points while handing out 8 assists to earn MVP honors while senior wing Frankyn Batista had 16 points and 14 rebounds. Jeremiah Barr added 15 points as well. 

Class B - Hamden Hall 75 Canterbury 66

Junior guard Jackson Benigni scored a game high 32 points, including 8 threes, while picking up 6 steals on the defensive end to take MVP honors and lead Hamden Hall to the Class B championship. Seniors Byron Breland and Christian Adams, who are committed to NJIT and Pace respectively, both finished with double-doubles while fellow senior Tim Dawson provided a fourth double-figure scorer for the Hornets. This was Hamden Hall's first NEPSAC championship since moving up from Class C. 

Class A - Phillips Exeter 57 Williston Northampton 44

Exeter jumped out to a commanding early lead only to see Williston change defenses and fight all the way back in the second half. Unsigned point guard Pearson Parker took MVP honors while scoring 10 of his 13 points after halftime while Jordan Jones and Alex Swett each finished with 12 points on a combined 7 three-pointers. Sacred Heart bound guard Tyler Thomas scored 17 points, including five threes, for Williston while big man Nikola Kovacevic added 9. The championship was Exeter's fourth Class A crown in the last seven years. 

Class AA - St. Andrew's 84 Cushing Academy 72

The Saints came in missing two starters but played inspired basketball for all 36 minutes, creating offense from their defense, crashing the glass relentlessly, and making twelve three-pointers on the day. Syracuse bound guard Brycen Goodine earned MVP honors and was credited with 25 points in the final book while Manhattan bound guard Benson Lin had 22 including a series of open floor dunks. Junior forward Myles Wilmoth had a bit of a coming out party, scoring 15 points and showing flashes of his long-term potential while Matt Constant and Matt Relihan both stepped up to play big roles down the stretch. Unsigned post-graduate Sean Conway scored a team high 22 points for Cushing while Andrew Kirkpatrick scored 17 points himself, including five threes. 

Class AAA - Northfield Mount Hermon 96 Brewster Academy 85

After trailing by double-figures early in the second-half, NMH rallied for a dramatic come-from-behind victory. Harvard bound forward Chris Ledlum took MVP honors with a 31 point performance but junior forward Ben Callahan-Gold sparked the run with six second-half three-pointers. Maxwell Lorca-Lloyd provided a consistent presence around both rims while Greg Dolan was a steady hand at the point guard position. NMH overcame a dominant 35 point performance from Brewster sophomore Terrance Clarke including nine three-pointers. Kai Jones added 13 points and Jalen Lecque 10 for Brewster. This was NMH's third AAA championship in the last four years.