NEPSAC Defensive Player of the Year: Analysis & Evaluations

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This last week has been a great one when it comes to awards season. What a better time than now to do it for the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council, giving out its Defensive Player of the Year award to five different players this season, one for every classification of the NEPSAC. Here is our analysis of the winners selected.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class AA: Ahney Adams - G, Tilton School (2024)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What a year for Adams, winning NEPSAC Player of the Year, Gatorade Player of the Year in New Hampshire and NEPSAC Defensive Player of the Year. All three she more than deserved, especially when talking about her defense. With more than 120 steals and 140 pass deflections, she kept herself busy on the perimeter, one of the better perimeter defenders in the region.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class A: [player_tooltip player_id='409323' first='Madison' last='Hart'] - G, Sacred Heart Greenwich (2024)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We head to yet another senior guard, this time over in Connecticut with [player_tooltip player_id='409323' first='Madison' last='Hart']. Her name might ave gone under-the-radar to many, simply because her offense doesn't jump out on the page. What does jump out is her defensive consistency and presence on the floor. It helped contribute to one of the better overall defensive performances of the season from both public and private school players in CT.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class B: [player_tooltip player_id='184019' first='Laura' last='Johnson-Shedd'] - G, St. George's School (2024)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first person from Massachusetts in either the Player of the Year or Defensive Player of the Year listings, Johnson-Shedd represented Boston proudly with impressive defensive stats. She averaged 4.3 RPG, 3.7 deflections per game and 1.5 SPG while playing 23 minutes per game. Some players would back away from a role like that, but Johnson-Shedd embraced it and excelled at it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class C: [player_tooltip player_id='354338' first='Selah' last='Prignano'] - F, Wilbraham &amp; Monson (2026)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prignano reclassified, moved schools and moved states in the process, heading to Massachusetts to play at Wilbraham &amp; Monson. What a great move it was for her as she went on to average 6.5 rebounds per game, 4.5 steals per game and 0.8 blocks per game this past season. She's proved herself as a top frontcourt option for the program and a dangerous defensive player that should be able to do plenty of damage on the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class D: [player_tooltip player_id='967305' first='Dariia' last='Serednytska'] - Rocky Hill School (2027)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Serednytska is the lone player from Rhode Island on this list and on the Player of the Year selections list, a wild occurrence, but one that highlights a top-tier defender that much more. The freshman has already played well above her years and defensive stats like these only help to benefit that more. More than 11 RPG, 2 SPG and one block a game showcased an almost immediate transition, a flawless one at that, as she looks toward the future.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->