Belmont Boys’ Hoops ‘Big Three’ Bring Marauders Back To North Final With Win Over Latin Academy

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Photo: Belmont’s Preston Jackson-Stephens driving to the basket.

The Boston Celtics had the “Big Three” – Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen – who took the team to the NBA championship in 2008.

And during Belmont High Boys’ Basketball return to the Division 2 North Finals, its had found its own “Big Three” to carry the load.

Senior guard Mac Annus and junior forwards Tim Minicozzi and Preston Jackson-Stephens have asserted their prowess in the three tournament games not just in each scoring an average of 20-plus points per game but with on-court leadership and a coolness under pressure.

And it was never more in evidence on Wednesday, March 4 in Wakefield High’s oldie-style gym where the trio accepted the challenge from a smart and quick Boston Latin Academy squad to display the grit and guts to slay the Dragons, 72-64, in an all-you-would-hope-for North semifinal.

Belmont returns to the Tsongus Arena in Lowell on Saturday, March 7, to defend its North title in an encounter with top seed Beverly – the Panthers were the 1 seed last season. Tip off is at 4:15 p.m.

The three’s dominance showed as they combined for 66 of Belmont’s 72 points vs Latin Academy with Jackson-Stephens with 26, Minicozzi 23 and Annus throwing in 17.

“They’ve been doing that all year,” said Adam Pritchard, Belmont’s long time head coach. “There are not a lot of coaches that are blessed with three guys who are scoring for that average. It’s because they are really focused players who shot a lot but most of all they are great kids.”

Annus – who was recently named the MVP of the Middlesex League – Minicozzi and Jackson-Stephens found it difficult which of the three to defend as each has the ability to drive inside, find the assist or bury an NBA-length three point shots. Pick your poison.

The opening quarter was all Dragons, using its speed – slashing to the hoop, creating steals and winning the majority of the 50/50 ball all night long – and outside shooting to nearly run Belmont off the court and out of the game early as Latin Academy’s all-everything guard Abdulahi Aden hit for three 3s in the quarter.

The second saw the track meet ended as both teams took the game inside the paint with Belmont creeping back into the game as Minicozzi and Jackson-Stephens hit 3s to end the half down with Belmont down 33-29.

The Marauders started the third continuing to connect from long distance as Annus and Minicotti hit three consecutive 3s to put Belmont in the lead for the first time, 38-37. Slowly the Marauders advantage grew as Latin Academy shots were off the mark. An Annus 3 with a little more than a minute remaining gave Belmont its biggest lead at 49-40, before ending the quarter outscoring Latin Academy 20 to 10 in the third to take a 49-43 into the final eight minutes.

The fourth quarter saw Latin Academy come off the mat with Aden’s 11 points in the quarter leading the way. Jackson Stephens would make one of two free throws before driving for a layup to give Belmont a small three point cushion only to see Latin Academy march back to cut the lead to 63-62 when Belmont fouled on the shot near the basket.

With the ball in their hands and less than a minute to play, Latin Academy blinked, as they missed both free throws with 56.1 seconds left giving Belmont the rock and a one point lead.

On the subsequent trip down court, Minicozzi drove the baseline and was chopped down to put the junior on the charity stripe. Then, in frustration rather than anger, a Latin Academy player punched the loose ball toward the benches. The official had little option but to call a technical foul.

Annus hit the two technical free throws, Minicozzi sank his pair and Belmont retained possession. A quick foul sent Jackson-Stephens to the line who hit one of two and the damage had been done as a one point lead stretched to six in just a handful of seconds.

There was a reprieve for Latin Academy when Belmont was called for its own technical for taunting and narrowed the margin to a two possession game but a rushed shot and a foul proved the margin of victory.

Pritchard told the media gaggle surrounding him after the contest that having core players who have been this far into the tournament before is a clear advantage.

“Experience is not to be overlooked in terms of confidence. But you know that confidence is hard work, it’s determination and it’s self belief and they believe in themselves and believe in their teammates.”

As for the matchup against Beverly, Pritchard was succinct.

“They’re very good,” said Pritchard. “We’re pretty good, too.”

Belmont Boys’ Hockey Take Down Top Seed Reading, 3-2; Off To D1 North Finals Monday

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Photo: Belmont’s senior goaltender Nico Carere.

Belmont High School Boys’ Hockey Head Coach Fred Allard said after Saturday’s 1-0 overtime quarterfinal victory over St. Mary’s of Lynn, that his team was eager to get back to the Division 1 North semifinals at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell.

“We have some unfinished business and we’re looking forward to taking care of it,” said Allard, referring to a 3-2 overtime loss to Waltham in the 2018 North Semis as the Hawks went on to capture the Division 1 state crown.

Mission accomplished.

In a game that saw four goals in a bonkers final four and a quarter minutes of the match, Belmont hung on to defeat the number one seed and Middlesex League rivals Reading Memorial High, 3-2, at Lowell.

Belmont will meet St. John’s of Shrewsbury in the sectional finals on Monday, March 9 at 7:30 p.m. at the Tsongas Arena.

What appeared to be an insurance goal by sophomore forward Matty Rowen with 1:19 remaining in the third period, giving Belmont a 3-1 lead, proved to be the game winner as Reading’s senior defender Cam Lawhorne rocketed a slap shot from the slot by Belmont’s stellar senior goalie Nico Carere with just under a minute to play to cut the lead to 3-2.

Rowen solo effort – nudging the puck five hole by Reading’s goalie Dylan Emery – came after junior defender Henry Stonehouse’s slap shot off an Emery long rebound snuck inside the right post to snap a 1-1 tie with 2:44 in the period.

Reading had evened the contest when freshman forward Evan Pennucci – who a minute earlier hit the post – redirected a shot by Carere with 4:15 left in the third. Belmont’s senior netminder had until then been unstoppable between the pipes, going nearly 90 minutes of shutout hockey since last being scored upon by Andover in the first round of the tournament.

And it was Carere who preserved the victory with two rapid fire, in close saves in the final eight seconds, ending sprawled on his back with his pads covering the puck as the siren sound.

The semifinal was a physical, slow moving affair between teams that were all too familiar with the other having battled twice this season with the Marauders coming up on the losing end of a pair of one-goal games.

After a cautious first period with far more icing calls than actual scoring opportunities – an apparent Reading goal was disallowed for a high stick – Belmont began using the larger NHL-sized rink to its advantage to take control of the game by using its better team speed to open space and create passing lanes.

While the offense found a rhythm, the defensive pairings led by junior Tom Grace, senior Ryan Hoffman, Stonehouse, junior Nolan Duffy and senior Mike Hardy stood tall on the blue line and was able to win most of the battles along the boards and behind the net. The back line was presented by Allard with the “Jax,” a firefighter’s helmet that signifies Belmont’s Player(s) of the Match.

Belmont got on the scorer’s sheet during the only penalty of the game – the second game the Marauders have not been called for an infraction – when Reading went down a man on a Pennucci cross check.

And the goal was right out of the playbook: Grace found senior all-star Justin Rocha as he circled behind the net. As the Reading players turned to face Rocha, senior Matt Brody drifted into the slot and one-timed his line-mate’s pass by Emery high glove side with 1:14 left in the second.

Belmont continued to dominate the majority of the third before Pennucci’s tally started the goal barrage.

Belmont Boys’ Hoops Take On Latin Academy in Semis Wednesday At Wakefield

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Photo: Belmont’s Preston Jackson-Stephens taking the shot vs. Billerica

The easy part is over.

After a pair of comprehensive playoff victories in the comforting confines of Wenner Field House, the Belmont High Boys’ Basketball squad will board the bus and head off to neutral site Wakefield High School to meet up with a challenger which has the ability to score in bunches and do so quickly.

The third seed Marauders (18-4) will take on second seed Boston Latin Academy (21-4) in the semi-finals of the Division 2 North sectionals on Wednesday, March 4. Tip off is at 7 p.m.

“They’re obviously a good team having made it this far,” said Belmont Head Coach Adam Pritchard after Belmont ran a good Billerica squad off the Coach Lyons court, 76-57, in the quarterfinals last Wednesday.

Academy is one of the smaller teams Belmont will play, but what they lack in height they make up in speed and outside shooting, usually scoring double the number of 3s their opponents will attempt.

The Dragons are led by 6th man Junior Guard Abdulahi Aden who scored 21 points while grabbing 5 rebounds and giving out 6 assists in its quarterfinal match with Gloucester.

Belmont is captained by Middlesex Liberty MVP senior Mac Annus who is averaging 23.5 points in the playoffs. He is joined by juniors Preston Jackson-Stephens and Tim Minicozzi who are contributing on both ends of the court.

O’Donovan, Gray Spark Belmont Girls’ Hockey To State QF With Shutout Over Waltham

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Photo: Emma O’Donovan scoring her first goal vs Waltham.

It’s been the script Belmont High School Girls’ Hockey has been using the entire 2019-2020 season: Junior Emma O’Donovan scores, First Year Bridget Gray saves.

And Belmont didn’t deviate from its successful formula as O’Donovan’s brace was all the Marauders needed as Gray came up with a 31 save 2-0 shutout victory over Waltham High School in the Sweet 16 of the State Girls’ Division 1 tournament on Monday, March 2, at the Ryan Rink in Watertown.

“We knew this was going to be a big game,” said Belmont Head Coach Ken Murphy, having played the Hawks earlier in the season that ended in a 1-0 victory.

“It just went our way tonight. Our goalie really stepped up and made some terrific saves,” said Murphy.

Next up for Belmont is the highest remaining seed in the tournament as the 7th seed Marauders take on two-seed Austin Prep on Saturday, March 7 at noon at Woburn.

It turned out to be an afternoon for recording landmarks as O’Donovan knotted her 30th goal and 40th point for the season while 9th grader Gray racked up her 10th shutout in 22 games with a gaudy 1.38 goal against average.

“It was a big team effort. We came out pretty slow as we had a lot of nerves in the locker room but we managed to pull it together in the end,” said O’Donovan.

From the puck drop the game pitted teams’ mirror images with similar breakout transition styles with great goaltending on both ends anchoring the defense.

Belmont took advantage of the game’s first power play when O’Donovan took a pass from Senior Meaghan Noone and between a pair of Waltham defenders snapped her favorite wrist shot by Waltham’s senior goalie Caitlyn Burke’s blocker to break the deadlock with 9:35 remaining in the second.

Enter Gray who stoned Waltham the rest of the way making 13 of her 31 saves in the third.

“It was definitely stressful in the third,” said Gray, making stellar saves off a pair of Waltham power plays early in the final stanza. “But in the moment, you’re really not thinking about it, you just think ‘how can I save the puck the best you can’.”

Gray and Murphy both acknowledged the steady work from the defensive led by the speedy Noone who skated down Waltham’s wingers and led the transition.

“I’m never nervous when she’s out there,” Murphy said about Noone.

Seniors Maggie O’Connor and Jenna Crowley along with junior Del Bonnin prevented the Hawks from setting up in the slot or cross the blue line unchallenged.

“I can’t tell how many blocked shots they had. They help me out so much,” said Gray.

With 30 second remaining, as junior Kendall Whalen dumped the puck towards Burke, O’Donovan reached out and tipped the puck by Burke to seal the win.

Both Murphy and the players acknowledge that Saturday’s match up against Austin Prep will be a testing contest.

“They’re very good but I think we have the heart to really give them a game and hopefully get the win,” said Gray.

Boys Hoops Shut Down Rockets In Playoff Opener, Billerica Next On Friday [Video]

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Photo: Mac Annus at the line vs Reading.

Belmont Boys’ Hoops began its campaign to repeat as sectional champions with an emphatic victory over Middlesex Liberty rival Reading Memorial High, 87-45, in the first round match up of the Division 2 North playoffs.

“We had a great week of practice and we played a good game on offense and defense,” said Belmont’s Head Coach Adam Pritchard.

With its victory, third seed Belmont will host 6th ranked Billerica Memorial High School on Friday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. after the team from Billerica defeated Somerville, 66-47.

The Marauders spread the rock around with three starters topping the 20 point mark with junior forward Preston Jackson-Stephens leading the way with 25 points followed by senior Mac Annus and junior Tim Minicozzi each with 21 points.

Belmont raced off to a 11-2 lead midway through the first quarter from the outside coming from threes from Minicozzi, Annus and sophomore center Kevin Logan who started the game.

Reading didn’t panic and through senior captain Taylor Marchant crept back to within five, 18-13. at the end of the quarter.

But Belmont broke out in the second quarter as Jackson-Stephens got of the snide with nine points as the junior was targeted when the Rockets began moving from under the basket to defend against Belmont outside scoring. Belmont’s solid defense and “push, push, push” transition gave the Marauders the open looks that gave them a 35-18 half time lead with Annus leading the way with 14 points including three 3s.

Reading started the second half going with a quicker but smaller lineup to spark the offense but that only allowed Belmont to dominate under the boards and allowed them to run the Rockets off the court, scoring 33 points and putting the game to bed finishing the third up 68-35.

Girls Hoops Taking the ’75’ Tuesday, Feb 25, To Cambridge For Tourney Opener Vs R&L

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Photo: Belmont’s Nina Minicozzi rounding the pick from Emma McDevitt during a game at the TD Boston Garden vs Pembroke.

After coming off a decisive away victory over Arlington on Feb. 7, the Belmont High Girls’ Basketball team was on a high note. At 11-6, the Marauders had secured a place in the MIAA Division 1 North tournament during a five game winning streak, had dominated fellow playoff squad in the SpyPonders – as well as revenging a home loss to Arlington – and was now playing for a good place in the sectionals.

But rather than heading up the seeding ladder, the Marauders took a tumble losing its final four to end the season at 11-10 to find themselves a 12th seed with an opening round game against its neighbors to the east, 5th seed Cambridge Rindge & Latin (16-4).

Belmont will be taking the MBTA’s number 75 bus – figuratively – to Cambridge on Tuesday, Feb. 25 for a 7 p.m. tipoff against the Falcons.

Defense will be the Marauders hallmark as it has been during the teams six year run in the playoffs. Starting with the guard play from junior Kiki Christofori and sophomore Sarah Dullagan, Belmont will attempt to create pressure against the opposing backcourt, attempting to minimize the Falcons noted athleticism. You can expect junior Abbie Morin and sophomores Bridgette Martin and Meredith Christo to coming in often to spark the defense.

Offensively, it will come down to Belmont’s sophomore Nina Minicozzi who has been a whirlwind down the stretch scoring in double digits and junior bomber Reese Shapazian who has been deadly throwing up threes. Expect the McDevitt sisters – junior Emma and sophomore Sophie – and junior Addie Wagner to contend under the basket on both ends of the court.

“I think we are a dangerous team to anyone in the tourney,” said Head Coach Melissa Hart. “We do need to clean up some things and we can be a little emotional when things go well or not so well. But I think this is a team that can advance.”

3rd Seed Boys Hoops Meets Reading (Again) In 1st Round Playoff Matchup Monday, Feb 24

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Photo: Senior Mac Annus drives against Burlington

If familiarity breed contempt, then the boys’ basketball teams from Belmont and Reading High are about to target each others shortcomings as the Middlesex Liberty rivals meet each other for the third time this season in the opening round match of the MIAA Division 2 North sectional tournament.

The third seed Marauders (16-4) and the 14th ranked Rockets (9-9) will continue their re-re-rematch on Monday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. at Belmont’s Wenner Field House.

While the Marauders nearly doubled up the Rockets, 84-46, in the first meeting on Jan. 3, the second was a low-scoring slugfest as Belmont barely squeaked by the hosts, 45-42, on the last day of the month.

A win against the Rockets will see Belmont at home against the winners of the Billerica vs Somerville match later in the week.

Belmont had a solid second half of the season, with a 8-3 record, with a few hiccups along the way. The team retained the Middlesex Liberty title going undefeated in division play while knocking off the Middlesex Freedom champs Burlington, 70-61, running off a 17-2 punch-to-the-gut scoreline in the final 2 minutes and 30 seconds of the game.

While the squad defeated top-ten ranked hosts Catholic Memorial, it also saw its two year league and three year home undefeated streaks come to an end with losses to Freedom division foes Wakefield and Watertown. Belmont ended the season with a two-point loss to Division One Andover in the finals of the Comcast Tournament.

It was during the last half that Belmont senior forward Mac Annus joined the select few to break the career 1,000 point mark against Woburn on Seniors Night on Feb. 13.

Annus, junior forward Preston Jackson-Stephen and forward Tim Minicozzi will take on the offensive roles. Senior guard Avery Arno will join spark plug sixth man junior guard Ali Noorouzi in upping the tempo on both ends of the court. Sophomore Kevin Logan, who saw his time on the court increase after an impressive performance coming off the bench against Catholic Memorial, will add height and heft under the basket.

For long time Head Coach Adam Pritchard, the playoffs are the reward for the work the team committed to at the beginning of the season.

“They’ve been a great group to coach. They have a real bond that will important against some of the best teams in the entire state,” he said.

Belmont Girls’ Hoops Streak Into Playoffs; Revenge Loss To SpyPonders For 11th Win

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Photo: Belmont’s Sarah Dullaghan with the layup against Reading, part of the five game winning streak the Marauders continued with its win over Arlington.

You could hear the laughter and cheering of the Belmont High Girls’ Basketball team as the bus entered the high school parking lot Friday night, Feb. 7.

And why not? The Marauders, which punched its ticket into the Div. 2 North Sectional tournament earlier in the week with its away victory over Wakefield, arrived back from a statement victory over playoff bound Arlington, 58-43, securing its 11th win and fifth in a row.

“We played the best half of the season,” said junior guard Kiki Christofori getting off the bus after avenging a four point loss in January to the SpyPonders.

The win puts Belmont (11-5) securely in second place in the Middlesex Liberty, a game clear of Lexington and Arlington, with two games remaining in the regular season.

Entering the second half a point down to the SpyPonders, 28-27, Belmont’s Head Coach Melissa Hart decided to up the defensive pressure on Arlington’s big scoring threats, juniors Claire Ewen and Ava Connolly by inserting a pair of youngsters in the line up; sophomore Meredith Christo and first year Sophie McDevitt.

And despite the efforts by Arlington to get their scorers the ball, “those two just really did a great job,” said Hart, also pointing to the effort by another sophomore Sarah Dullaghan, Christofori and junior Abby Morin as Ewen and Connolly finished the half with just 9 points.

On the other end of the court, sophomore Nina Minicozzi equaled her first half total of 7 points in the third alone before leading the Marauder charge in the fourth with nine for 23 points for the game as Belmont doubled up the SpyPonders 31-15 in the half.

Junior Reese Shapazian, who threw in three 3s in the second quarter to keep the Marauders close, finished with 10 while Christofori finished with eight as did McDevitt.

“We are playing our best at the right time,” said Hart, acknowledging that the team finishes up with home games against Burlington (12-5) and Woburn (15-1, ranked 14th in the Boston Globe Top 20) which beat Belmont by 11 earlier in the season.

“Burlington is very good and have three kids that are just long athletes so it’s gonna be a struggle,” said Hart.

Belmont Girls Hoops Grind By Watertown, Reading As Playoff Berth A Win Away

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Photo: Kiki being Kiki: Belmont’s Christofori playing her game.

Belmont High Girls’ Basketball secured a vital pair of home victories putting them a game away from securing a return trip to the Division 2 North sectional playoffs.

But the wins over arch rival Watertown and always tough Reading were throughly grind-them-out affairs in which the Marauders found a fourth quarter savior who secured the victories.

Against the Raiders on Tuesday, Jan. 28, sophomore Nina Minicozzi came off a four point first half to score 14 in the second – nine of those in the fourth – to give the Marauders the needed offensive punch to pull away from their cross border challengers, 54-34.

After falling behind 7-6 after the first quarter, Belmont’s Sophie McDevitt put the team on her shoulders as the first year became a target down low for her team mates cutting in the lane, scoring three hoops from in close. And given the chance, the sister of Belmont’s starting center Emma McDevitt buried a three as she hit for 10 of her career high 14 in the second quarter to give the Marauders a 23-14 lead at the half.

Belmont welcomed Reading to the Wenner Field House for a Friday night tussle that saw a pair of big quarters for both teams. After a close first quarter (15-11 Belmont), the Marauders pulled ahead 23-16 with three minutes remaining. That’s when the Rockets took off going on a 10-1 run behind sophomore guard Jackie Malley who knocked down six-for-six from the charity stripe to go along with a 3-pointer to give Reading the half time lead, 26-24.

The third quarter resembled an alley brawl as both team’s defenses were physical and uncompromising to anyone attempting a shot within 10 feet of the basket. Two free throws from junior Kiki Christofori (tied with Malley for game high 15 points) with 35 seconds remaining closed the gap to one, 36-35, only for Reading to hit a three and a follow up with zilch on the clock to give them their biggest lead of the game, 41-35, entering the final eight minutes.

The fourth was Belmont’s as its pressure defense shut down the Rockets. Reese Shapazian’s NBA-distance 3 with six minutes remaining gave Belmont the lead, 42-41, and her second trey – a buzzer beater from a wild rebound from Minicozzi upped the lead to six, 48-42, with four-and-a-half left on the clock.

It was a wild last minute as Belmont saw its 51-44 lead to a single possession, 54-51 with 10 seconds remaining when sophomore Sarah Dullaghan (five points including a behind the head layup and a three pointer) the smallest Marauder, blocked a desperation three to effectively end the game.

Belmont will take on streaky Wakefield (7-9 but with victories over Burlington, Wilmington and Arlington) as they begin the final two weeks of league play.

After Garden Party, Belmont Girls’ Hoops Sprint For Tourney Spot

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Photo: Belmont Girls at the garden.

After a once-in-a-lifetime trip to play on the parquet of TD Boston Garden early Saturday morning, the Belmont High Girls’ Basketball team gets back to the grind of securing a spot defeating arch-rival Watertown, 54-34, on Tuesday, Jan. 28.

With eight wins, the team needs to secure two wins in its final five games of the regular season and could reach that mark in the next week as they’ll be matched up against a team they have previously defeated and one of the streakiest squads in the Middlesex League.

Belmont’s Nina Minicozzi (14) vs Watertown.

The Marauders will take on Reading (6-7) on Friday, Jan. 31 – Belmont defeated the Rockets by 10 earlier in the season before they head off to Wakefield (6-8) which has beaten some of the best teams in the league before losing to some of the weakest squads.

Belmont broke a two game losing streak defeating Winchester, 61-49, on Friday night, Jan. 24 then finding themselves with a 9:30 a.m. tip-off against last year’s Division 2 South champions Pembroke.

The game – which was an MIAA endowment game – will not count against the teams record when it come to seeding or making the tournament. It was a chance for both teams to spend out their bench players who played the entire second quarter. In the end, the Patriots took home a 56-40 victory which was closer then the score indicated.

After starting off the season with a 6-2 record, Belmont played a string of games in which teams began focusing their defenses around stopping Belmont leading and most consistent scorer, sophomore guard Nina Minicozzi.

With junior center Emma McDevitt out of the lineup due to a twisted ankle and the team missing three starters from last year’s North finals squad – two graduating and playing for 19-0 Bowdoin and another recruited away – Minicozzi finds herself facing a double team or physical man-to-man situation resulting on the second year starter prone on the court.

Belmont was back home Tuesday at the Coach Lyons’ Court against the Raiders in a game which took a quarter just to get started. By the end of the first quarter, both teams struggled to score less than one point per minute with the Raiders leading, 7-6.

Watertown, behind sophomore forward Taylor Lambo’s low post shooting, upped its advantage to 14-10 midway through the second quarter before Belmont found an unexpected source for its scoring woes as first year Sophie McDevitt. The forward scored 10 of her career high 14 points taking passes from diving guards for uncontested layups while knocking down a three when given the time and space. Behind McDevitt, Belmont ended the half on a 13-0 run to lead by nine, 23-14, at intermission.

The game was notable as Belmont played an aggressive press defense, constantly doubling the ball and coming up with a slew of turnovers that allowed Belmont to pad its advantage to 37-20 entering the final eight minutes.

With a bit more space on the floor, Minicozzi was able to drive to the basket and also hit a three in the final quarter to finish with a game high 18 points.