The Loomis Chaffee girls basketball team secured its fourth straight NEPSAC Class A title with a 51-45 win over Sacred Heart on March 9, finishing off a 25-3 season. 

The championship game remained close through the first half, with Loomis leading 12-11 after the first quarter and 23-21 at halftime. Sacred Heart’s defense pressured the Pelicans early, leading to more turnovers than usual, but Loomis stayed in the game with strong defense and key offensive rebounds. Senior Aniyah Neal provided a boost with two three-pointers in the first half, helping to offset the team’s struggles from the perimeter. 

In the third quarter, Loomis took advantage of gaps in Sacred Heart’s defense, finding ways to score in the post while also hitting some outside shots. By the start of the fourth quarter, the Pelicans had built an 11-point lead, but Sacred Heart cut the deficit to three with under three minutes remaining. However, Loomis executed well on two key offensive possessions and maintained strong defensive pressure to secure the six-point victory. Senior Alicia Mitchell was named the Class A Tournament MVP. 

“This was the best overall team I have coached,” head coach Adrian Stewart said. “They showed up every day focused on the task at hand, understanding that the harder they worked, the better they would help their teammates prepare.” Stewart also credited assistant coach and alum Chloe Alexander ’12 for her skill development work and game management, as well as Caitie Cotton for her support with scouting and social media. 

The season marked another milestone for the program, as the team finished with its best regular-season record, 22-3, and won the Founders League title with a 9-0 record. It was the team’s 10th Founders League championship in the past 12 years.

Loomis defeated Phillips Academy Andover 70-28 in the quarterfinals and Hotchkiss 69-56 in the semifinals to reach the championship game.