NEPSAC Quarterfinal Under-The-Radar Performers

On Wednesday, the NEPSAC held all of their first-round playoff matchups. I'll be highlighting some impressive players across all divisions.   <a href="https://prephoops.com/2026/03/nepsac-quarterfinal-studs/" id="https://prephoops.com/2026/03/nepsac-quarterfinal-studs/">NEPSAC Quarterfinal Studs</a>   To begin, let's look at some under-the-radar performances from AAA, AA, A, B large, and B small.    Allersted wasn't a guy I knew too much about previously, but he showed me a lot in Bridgton's loss against New Hampton on Wednesday. The senior wing is 6-foot-4, but he appears a LOT bigger because of his length, athleticism and frame, and he operates like a forward. He has a phenomenal motor, which he uses to attack the offensive glass and hunt down rebounds, but he also has solid touch around the rim with both hands. Defensively, he can guard all 5 positions because of his strength and speed, and he slides his feet like a madman. Allersted also made a couple really nice passes and can probably do more offensively with more responsibility. Very intriguing player.     Keenan is never going to get the credit he deserves because he's a 6-foot guard who operates as a table-setter for the big-time athletes he plays alongside at St. Thomas More. But the senior is a phenomenal floor general who makes kick-ahead passes like he breathes and is ultra-quick and smart with the ball in his hands. He can get into the crevices of the defense and consistently makes nice spray-out passes, but he can also finish with both hands at the rim and can make shots from three if you don't defend his scoring. I'm not sure what Keenan's recruitment looks like, but he's starting and playing lots of minutes for an incredibly high level prep school team, so that means a lot.     Mitchner doesn't get the recognition he deserves because he plays with [player_tooltip player_id='2341363' first='Alex' last='Egbuonu'] and doesn't necessarily play with too much flash, but boy does he get the job done. The 6-foot-3 senior gets into the paint at will with decisive, straight-line dribble moves, and his three-level scoring ability makes him a threat from everywhere on the court. Mitchner also makes excellent reads off of two feet at the rim and has some awesome finishing chops. He isn't flashy, but he's one of the more efficient and effective players in the region, as he showed during Wednesday's loss to Cheshire.     Zarzycki is a SHOOTER! He's shooting over 50% from three on the season and hit 7 of them against Lawrence Academy on Wednesday, many of which came at pivotal points in the second half. The 6-foot-3 wing has a super quick release and nice footwork coming off screens, but he also makes nice plays for his teammates when the help comes—he had one really nice look-away pass to a backdoor cutter. Zarzycki finished off his performance with 2 clutch free throws. What a game from him.     Romich has consistently been a big part of Kimball Union's attack this season. Against an extremely talented Winchendon team, it was the 6-foot-4 guard's confidence and conviction from three that allowed them to pull away. Sure, Scroggins and Smith manned the paint, but Romich's ability to make the defense play him from deep was KUA's secret sauce. Against a Cushing Academy team with great rim protection and perimeter defenders, he'll probably need to make some more shots for his squad to come away with a win.     It's hard to pick one guy on Deerfield to highlight, because they play a really nice team-centric brand of basketball and get everyone involved offensively—it can be anyone who pops off on any given night. But Cyr's point guard skills and table-setting ability is what pulls the offense together. He does a great job Nash dribbling under the rim and going from good shot to great shot, but he can also take advantage of the defense from the perimeter, both off the catch and off the dribble. Definite D3 player.     I admittedly haven't gotten to watch too much of Master's this season, but Brogniart really impressed me in their quarterfinal win over Greenwich Country Day. The 6-foot-8 forward scored from all three levels and showcased really solid versatility for his size—he can move well and can hit shots from the outside, but he's also tough and strong on the inside. Some added weight and closeout attack ability would be huge for the Skidmore commit.     Ramanauskas isn't the most talked about player on a really talented Holderness squad with lots of scorers. But on Wednesday, I was extremely impressed with the 6-foot-3 guard's ability to make quick and decisive plays off of second-side attacks and closeout-attack opportunities. He knows what he's going to do with the ball before it gets swung to him, and he uses ball and head fakes to throw off the defense before setting up his teammates for easy shots. He's a ball connector and the type of piece you need to fill out your lineup if you want to play high IQ, unselfish basketball.

On Wednesday, the NEPSAC held all of their first-round playoff matchups. I'll be highlighting some impressive players across all divisions.