Belmont Boys’ Hoops Nipped by Tewksbury, 58-56, in Quarterfinals

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Photo: Belmont’s Ben Lazenby heading towards the basket during the quarterfinal match between Belmont and Tewksbury.

Belmont High Boys’ Basketball Head Coach Adam Pritchard looked like he had just wrestled an alligator or some wild beast – his hair in a riot, shirttail out, tie comically askew, pants twisted – coming down the stairs from the second-floor locker room at Tewksbury High School’s gym.

In fact, Pritchard and the team he coached, had just put up a monumental struggle for 32 minutes on the hard court. A struggle they just could not come out on top.

In a tightly played and exciting contest decided in the final seconds, Belmont was nipped at the line by host Tewksbury, 58-56, in the quarterfinals of the Division 2 North Sectionals.

With Belmont down by two points with 5.8 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, junior co-captain Matt Kerans missed the front end of a one-and-one from the free throw line. While Belmont got the ball for a final shot, there was only .2 of a second left on the clock, just enough for a prayer.

A desperation full-court pass was intercepted and the game and a topsy-turvy season – filled with injuries, statement wins, and a few surprising upsets – came to an end as the capacity hometown crowd cheered.

“That was a good team; they were 19-4 coming in. We were on the road coming to a team that had a lot of success, and they play the game well,” Pritchard said hoarsely.

“It was a two-point game, a game of so many different possessions, so many statistics, to say that it came down to any one thing is nice for some people, but I don’t believe it,” Pritchard said.

“You could say everyone was having a hard time making free throws, maybe a shot here or a turnover there or having the poise. Whatever it is, it’s a collection of things. As a coach, I can think of a lot of things I would do differently

For the first time this season, Belmont’s long-time guard tandem of Kerans and senior co-captain Ben Lazenby were matched up with a pair of opposing guards – co-captains senior Alex DiRocco (18 points) and junior Nate Tenaglia (19 points) – who were just as talented shooting as they were on defense. Critically, the Redmen duo were just as quick as Kerans (12 points) and Lazenby (8 points), negating Belmont’s speed cutting to the basket or driving to the hoop.

That advantage was evident at the start of the game when Tewksbury couldn’t stop making shots – DiRocco and Tenaglia each hit a three and a two in the first – while guard/forward junior Justin Derrah (scorched the Marauders with 7 of his game 13 points to initially lead by 10-2 and 17-5 in the final seconds until junior guard Cole Bartels (9 points) hit his own three at the buzzer to cut the lead to nine (17-8) after the first.

Early in the second, Belmont’s senior Adam Kleckner (18 points) was hit with his third foul when a technical was assessed to the 6’5″ center after he tangled up with DiRocco (the technicals to both players were harsh in how physical the game was played). Pritchard took Kleckner out and later Kerans with the Marauders down 23-15 at the five-minute mark.

“I was hoping to keep it close with the subs in,” said Pritchard.

Better than that, the combination of four seniors (Peter Durkin, Seth Altman, co-captain Tom Martin and Jaemar Paul) and Bartels kept chipping at the lead as Tewksbury’s aim began to fail them. Leading the Marauders was Paul, who delivered offensively – a pair of baskets and free throws – and on defense as he presented a physical challenge to the Redmen under the basket.

“We got incredible effort from the kids off the bench,” said Pritchard.

When Bartels stole a pass and connected on his second three of the half with four minutes to play, the Marauders finished a 10-0 run to lead 25-23. The swarming Belmont defense allowed Tewksbury only 8 points in the quarter and provide the visitors a two-point margin (27-25) at the half.

“We had our top three scorers come out of the game at the same time and they gave us a two-point lead. That was amazing. It is about the team and not about one or two so that was one of the most impressive things I will remember,” he said.

The second half began like the first, but this time Belmont had the hot hand and it was possessed by Kleckner who began using his strength and height – four inches taller than anyone on the Tewksbury bench – to muscle his way to the basket, dropping 14 of his 18 points in the third stanza.

But just as Belmont was gaining momentum and the lead at 37-31, DiRocco and Tenaglia proved unstoppable from beyond the three-point arc, hitting five 3s – two by DiRocco from beyond the NBA 3-point line – to knot the score at 44 entering the final eight minutes.

It took two minutes for either team to score when Lazenby made his only 3 pointer before he sank a flying deuce and put in a layup with a nifty pass by Bartels to up the Belmont advantage to two, 51-49 with 4:40 to play.

Help for Tewksbury came from an unlikely source; junior forward Adam Gajjaoui – who had been badly missing the few shots he took – started connecting, knocking down a critical 3 pointer to give Tewksbury a two-point lead, 54-53, with three minutes to play and then put in a layup to give the Redmen a three-point edge, 56-53.

Both teams made critical plays on defense – Kleckner taking a charge and Tenaglia stealing a pass to the wide open Kleckner – while the offenses stalled as Belmont missed a pair of 3 pointers (Belmont would end the night hitting five 3’s to Tewksbury’s 11). Belmont could not take advantage of fouls on Kleckner and Kerans as the Redmen were assessed four fouls into the final minute of the game.

It came down to free throws as Tenaglia missed the front end of a one-and-one with 33 seconds left, a play in which Bartels was fouled. He made one of two to pull Belmont within a pair, 56-54. Needing to foul, Belmont picked on substitute senior co-captain Joe Csokmay who made his only two points of the game count, allowing the Redmen to lead by four, 58-54, with 28 seconds remaining.

It took time for Belmont to take a shot that turned out to be a spectacular one as Kerans threw up a behind his back prayer that bounced on the rim before dropping.

Quickly fouling, Belmont was given a potential “Get Out of Jail” card as Derrah missed his one-and-one and Kerans was fouled from behind with 5.8 seconds left.

You know what happened next.

Pritchard said this year’s squad – that includes nine seniors: Kleckner, Lazenby, Durkin, Martin, Bryan Scordino, Altman, Pablo Reimers, and Alex Berets – were “amazing kids, great leaders from great families. I have been incredibly blessed to have coached this group of kids because they are all going to go out and be successful.”

“They were respectful, they listened and that’s because they cared. That’s something special.”

 

Watertown/Belmont Girls’ Hockey Slides By Andover, 2-1; Austin Prep Next on Wednesday

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Photo: Watertown/Belmont’s Erin McLaughlin redirects the puck past Andover goalie Meaghan Johnson for the Mauraiders’ first goal.

Goals by senior captain Erin McLaughlin and sophomore Aurora Fidler provided the margin of victory as the Watertown/Belmont combined high schools girls’ ice hockey team skated by a resilient Andover High School (19-3-1) squad in a first round match in the Division 1 state championship tournament at Watertown’s Ryan Rink Saturday, Feb. 28.

“It was a very exciting game. Maybe too exciting. But we got one under our belts,” said Watertown/Belmont Head Coach Steve Russo to the Belmontonian as his 4th-ranked team advances to the quarterfinals where it will meet fifth-seed Austin Prep of Reading.

The game is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, March 4 at 6 p.m. in Woburn. 

In a match which Watertown/Belmont (19-3-1) dominated large portions of the first and second periods, it was Andover’s defense – led by senior goaltender Meaghan Johnson and standout junior defender Jillian Hughes – which kept Watertown/Belmont’s top line, which includes all-star senior forward Emily Loprete, in check.

“We were inches away several times, hitting a post once, but we just couldn’t score that early goal,” said Russo.

While the Maraiders were in control for long stretches, the Golden Eagles found gaps in the Watertown/Belmont back line which resulted in a number of odd man rushes at veteran freshman goaltender Jonna Kennedy – she started last year as an eighth grader. But nearly all the partial breaks were broken down before reaching the net by the speedy defenders, led by senior co-captain Suzanne Noone and junior Serena Nally. 

“We have people that work hard to get back when a mistake is made and as you saw, they had several opportunities to score when our defense and forwards made the play to deny,” said Russo. 

It took a pair of penalties early in the second and third periods to open space on the ice for the Maraiders to take advantage.

After an interference penalty on Andover, a shot from the point by junior defender Kelly McCusker-Brown found McLaughlin in slot where the senior redirected the puck just past Johnson’s left pad into the net second minute into the middle stanza.

Watertown/Belmont’s second goal was a moment of being in the right place for Fidler who knocked in a loose puck in the crease to double the lead also two minutes into the final period, assisted by McLaughlin and Nally. 

Soon after the second goal, Andover began to exploit a tiring Watertown/Belmont squad.

“That happens in playoff games,” said Russo. “You get the jitters, the adrenaline wears off, it happens.” 

Soon, Andover drew a penalty just before midway through the period and scored on a wrist shot in close from senior captain Jessica Leone with assists from fellow senior captain Caroline Hughes and Jillian Hughes. 

“Andover kept coming. They played with some desperation and they’re a really good team,” said Russo. 

The Golden Eagles nearly knotted up the contest with five-and-a-half minutes left with a shot from a swarm in the slot hit Kennedy at the last second. While a penalty against Watertown/Belmont with 30 seconds remaining allowed Andover to pull their goalie and have six skaters against the Maraiders’ four, two final shots from the point didn’t reach Kennedy as they were blocked out front. 

For Russo, Saturday’s victory belonged to the team rather than a couple of individual players who performed well. 

“All three [offensive] lines did their job today. Everybody did what was asked of them,” said Russo. 

 

Watertown/Belmont Hockey Begins Playoffs Saturday Vs Andover

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On Saturday, Feb. 28 at 12:30 p.m., the 4th-seed Watertown/Belmont combined high school Girls’ Ice Hockey team (18-3-1) will face off against the 13th-ranked Andover High (11-6-2) in the first-round playoff game of the MIAA Div. 1 state championships. 

The game will be held at the Ryan Skating Rink in Watertown.

Belmont Girls’ Hoops Takes Down Bedford in Thriller, Heads to Semis vs Watertown

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Did you miss Thursday night’s Girls’ Basketball Div. 2 North quarterfinals at Bedford High?

Oh, I feel sorry for you.

In a game that could have been lost in so many ways – questionable calls, missed shots, a quicker and fresher opponent – 15 girls from Belmont High School willed themselves with guts, determination and intensity to craft a thrilling victory, 57-51, against the fourth-ranked Bedford High Buccaneers.

Belmont (16-6) now book a date (Tuesday, March 3 at 7 p.m. at Mystic Valley Regional Charter School in Malden) in the semi-finals with their neighboring arch-rival, undefeated (19-0) and number-one seed Watertown High, for the right to play in the sectional championship game.

“They showed so much heart and poise to come back from being down away from home,” said Head Coach Melissa Hart after the victory in which Belmont parents and fans savored the emotion with the players on the opposition’s court.

“”We gave up a lot of points early, but they never stopped fighting, not once,” said Hart.

The statistics compiled at the scorer’s table could scarcely tell the narrative written on the court in the bandbox gymnasium filled to overflowing with especially boisterous Bedford supporters. From the relentless team defensive leaving Bedford’s five starters exhausted and broken in the fourth quarter to the individual acts of top-notch athletic skill allowed the Marauders to rip the game out of the Buccaneers’ hands in the crucial third quarter and calmly “seal the deal” from the charity stripe in the final minutes.

“I wasn’t playing well,” said junior forward Sarah Stewart, who had three early fouls.

“So when I went back in, [Hart] told us you have be fierce in this game. So I didn’t get angry; I went in determined that we are going to win,” she said.

Leading the Marauders was captain and center Linda Herlihy, who finished with a game-high 21 points, five rebounds, and two blocks. Not seen in the stats is what Herlihy also provided – senior leadership. Once, at the very moment Belmont was on the edge of collapse – falling behind by nine points late in the second quarter – Herlihy yelled to her teammates, “Get a grip! Find your man!” to set the defense.

“We needed to focus and keep our heads. You can’t look at the score. You just have to play the game,” recalled Herlihy.

Down the final stretch, Belmont relied on the ball handling skills of freshman Carly Christofori (16 points), who secured the victory by coolly knocking down free throws in the fourth quarter where she went 8 for 12.

“Do you ever miss a free throw?” Bedford’s head coach Matt Ryan asked Christofori after the game.

Christofori admitted feeling a bit anxious when she stepped to the line to take her shots.

“I was really nervous, but I knew the team needed the points, so I just thought about converting,” said Christofori.

Both teams came out fast with Belmont – which came in with a height advantage, on its inside game as Herlihy scored eight of the team’s 16 points, countered by Bedford’s senior guard duo Kristen Bullock (14 points) and Amanda Cohen, who was red hot early, hitting a pair of 3 pointers (the Buccaneers put five in from distance while Belmont came up empty from beyond the arc) to score 10 of her 19 points in the first quarter.

Leading 26-24 midway through the second quarter, Bedford made their move, spreading out the defense and driving to the basket for shots in close while Belmont was having trouble with the Buccaneer’s man-to-man defense, turning over the ball several times. Belmont could only hit two free throws while Bedford was making free throws to take a 33-24 lead at half time.

“They were good, but we didn’t play the sort of defense we needed to win,” said Hart.

But as with its first-round playoff game – a 71-43 home victory over Danvers where Belmont outscored the Falcons’ 45-19 in the second half – the Marauders stepped up its press defense which began to take a toll on the tiring Bedford players. While Hart was liberally substituting, Ryan kept his starters on the court, and it began showing as shots that were going in where staying out. With Belmont’s edge inside, Belmont took control under the boards.

“They were getting tired, so we just kept pushing,” said Herlihy.

And Belmont began seeing shots drop: a jumper from junior Irini Nikolaidis (4 points), a tough two under the basket from Herlihy, a free throw by Christofori and finally senior Sophia Eschenbach-Smith (4 points) pretty bounce pass to an open Stewart (4 points) completed a four-minute, 10-0 run, giving the Marauders their first lead since 10-8 in the first quarter.

Belmont kept the lead, going ahead 39-35 on a sweeping hook from freshman Jenny Call (2 points), before two Bedford free throws and a three from Cohen gave the Buccaneers the lead, 40-39, entering the fourth.

And it appeared Bedford caught a second wind, pushing their lead up to 46-41, but it was apparent the Buccaneers were drained, committing turnovers – including an easy steal and bucket by Christofori – and unable to keep up with Belmont’s defense, demonstrated when Bedford could not attempt a shot within 30 seconds and holding a one-point lead.

Belmont grabbed the lead (47-46) for good on a driving layup by Christofori with 3:50 remaining before Herlihy showed her touch by taking the ball and kissing it off the backboard to up Belmont’s margin to three at 49-46 with 3:12 left.

While Bedford cut the lead to 52-51 with 88 seconds remaining, Belmont forced a turnover and was soon fouled every time up the court. A pair from Christofori gave Belmont a 54-51 lead while Bedford blew a bunny in close. Christofori knocked down two more to bring the lead up to 56-51 with 45 seconds left.

And it was preserving the lead against some accomplished three-point scorers where Belmont players showed their grit. Senior Elena Bragg (5 points) grabbed a critical defensive rebound on a missed free throw followed by Stewart ripping down an offensive rebound after Christofori missed her second of two free throws and, finally, Herlihy pulled in an offensive rebound between three Bedford players with 20 second left.

Then the celebration began.

“This is a great win. Now we have to bring all that with us against Watertown,” said Hart.

Second-Half Explosion Propel Belmont Girls’ Hoops Past Danvers in Playoff Opener

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A newspaper sports columnist predicted that the best opening round girl’s basketball playoff game would be between Belmont High and visiting Danvers.

And the journalist’s forecast was right on … for the first half.

Leading Danvers, 26-24, after the first 18 minutes, Belmont’s vaunted defense and the scoring prowess of one of its youngest players allowed the Marauders to outscore the Falcon’s 24-4 in the third quarter and 45-19 in the half to cruise to a 71-43 home victory to start their post-season campaign in the Div. 2 North sectionals.

“This was a good one to have. We struggled early but we showed again we can come off a bad stretch,” said Belmont High Coach Melissa Hart.

Next for fifth-seeded Belmont (15-6) is a rematch on Thursday, Feb. 26, at fourth-ranked Bedford High (14-6) which came down Route 2 as a team to see the contest Tuesday, Feb. 24, at Wenner Field House.

“I hope they saw something while they were here,” said Hart.

Despite defeating Bedford last week in a winter recess tournament, 61-49, and having identical records, Belmont was given the lower seed after losing a coin flip administered by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, which sanctions the playoffs.

Belmont was led both on the ball and scoring by 9th-grader Carly Christofori, who scored 17 points including going three for four from 3-point range. Belmont hit a season-high eight treys Tuesday.

“We just wanted to win the game for the seniors so it wouldn’t be their last game especially at home with so many fans, finally,” said the freshman, noting the Wenner was filled for the first time this year for a girls’ game.

While Belmont finished strong, the Marauders wasn’t impressing anyone, including themselves, in the first half. After going up 19-12 on Christofori’s second three of the half just after the 6 minute mark in the second quarter, the team went into the freezer, giving up open shots and becoming flustered by a young athletic Danver’s team playing good defense.

When Danver’s junior Hannah Llewellyn hit a three point shot with two and a half minutes to play in the half, the Falcons outscored the Marauders 10-0 to take a 22-19 lead.

“I think the girls were, and they actually said it, that they were nervous right before the game,” said Hart. “Our defensive intensity was not at it best for a quarter but [Danvers] earned the lead.”

Then senior center Linda Herlihy took control; in the last 90 seconds of the half putting in an offensive rebound, hitting one of two from the charity stripe after being fouled and banking a hook shot with four seconds before the buzzer to give Belmont the 26-24 halftime lead.

“At half time it was really close and we knew we should be beating this team and we took over,” said Christofori, who started the half with a pair of free throws (9 points in the third) followed by offensive rebounding by Herlihy (five of her nine rebounds were under the Belmont basket) and senior Elena Bragg to set up Christofori for yet another downtown 3 pointer to up the lead to 33-24.

And a smothering press defense – including blocks by Herlihy and forced turnovers against the Falcons – led to fast break chances which Belmont began scoring. Stepping up were junior Sarah Stewart (throwing up a three from another ZIP code) and Bragg, who scored her six points for the night in the third. By the end of the quarter, the game was effectively done.

By the end of the fourth, every Belmont player got onto the court with 10 Marauders scoring, with the team cheering as junior Meghan Ferraro put in a layup with an assist from senior Lauren Noonan and for senior Kayla Magno when she drained a three.

“Having such a strong second half gives us a ton of confidence going into the next game and that’s really important,” said Herlihy.

A Hoop ‘Sleeper’ Set to Put Opponents to Bed in Sectionals

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Photo: Melissa Hart, Belmont High Girls head coach, at practice on Monday, Feb. 24.

In his preview of the MIAA state tournament, the Boston Herald’s High School Insider blogger Danny Ventura rates both the Belmont High School Boys’ and Girls’ teams as the “sleeper” teams of the MIAA Div. 2 North sectional playoffs that began Monday.

After being told her team is being described by that term, Melissa Hart, head coach of the Belmont High Girls squad, gave a quizzical look.

“I’m going to have to look up the definition of ‘sleeper team’,” said Hart as her team enters the tournament as the fifth seed and will play Danvers in the first round on Tuesday, Feb. 24.

For ESPN commentator Dick Vitale, a classic sleeper team in the NCAA tourney “is a team seeded fifth or lower in the bracket” that “are dangerous … capable of making deep runs in the big dance.” Ready for the upset, he said.

But Hart wonders if her team, which  should be considered as not as strong as the teams they are meeting in the playoffs. The Girls lost four of six games to undefeated or one loss teams and the other two times to teams in the Div. 1 playoffs.

“I mean, no one necessarily expects us to win but could?” said Hart. “No respect. That’s fine,” she added.

Hart’s team is coming off a great campaign that is sparked by a unrelenting defense and, especially in the final six games which it went 5-1, where the team’s outside shooting began falling. In fact, the possible second round game for Belmont could be a rematch against Bedford, which the Marauders beat by 12 points in a post-season tournament last week.

Despite having the same record and defeating the Buccaneers head-to-head, Belmont was made the lower seed after a coin-flip by the MIAA, preventing Belmont from hosting a second playoff game.

At practice Monday, the mood was upbeat as the girls were going through drills on specific points that Hart felt needed to “correct.”

“I think we’re a threat,” said Hart, pointing out how well balanced the team is – Hart regularly uses nine players in a game –   and a good make up of strong inside players – led by senior center Linda Herlihy and scoring leader Elena Bragg – and tough-noise guards with senior Sophia Eschenbach-Smith and freshman Carly Christofori.

“We have a good make up and that allows us to get away with having one player not having a great night. It doesn’t hurt you that much,” said Hart.

As practice ends, Hart believes being a sleeper could be an advantage in the playoffs.

“So we can be pretty dangerous when everything is working for us and it has in the past two weeks,” she said.

Belmont Boys’, Girls’ Hoops Begin Sectional Playoffs With Home Games

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Both the Belmont Boys’ and Girls’ Basketball teams will begin the 2015 Div. 2 North sectional playoffs with home games as the Marauders squads have secured top seeds.

The fifth-ranked Girls (14-6) will take on Danvers (10-10), the 12th and final seed in the tournament in a first-round game at Wenner Field House on Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. 

If the Marauders advance, they will take on 4th-seed Bedford (14-6) in the quarterfinals on Thursday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. at Bedford in a rematch of their game last week in the Spartan Tournament in Lynn where Belmont used a 26-point second quarter to defeat the Buccaneers, 61-48.

The Marauders are in the same half of the tournament as undefeated Watertown (18-0) which they would meet in the semi-finals.

The sixth-ranked Boys (15-7) will start the playoffs meeting meeting 11th-seed Winchester (12-8) for the third time – having won the two previous games – this season at the Wenner on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. By winning, the Marauders will take on the winner of the third-seed Tewksbury and either Melrose or Gloucester who meet in a preliminary game.

A Race for Belmont Selectman as Nomination Period Closed Tuesday

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There will be a single competitive race for a town-wide office when Belmont voters go to the ballot at Town Election, April 7, after Town Clerk Ellen Cushman officially closed the nomination process at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 17.

Incumbent Andy Rojas and James Williams, a Town Meeting member from Precinct 8, will square off for the open seat on the Board of Selectmen while the other races will have either candidate seeking re-election or newcomers running unopposed.

Rojas will defend the seat he won three years ago by the narrowest of margins against Williams, a Glenn Road resident who came to live in Belmont in 2011.

If nothing drastically changes in the next seven weeks, the Belmont School Committee will welcome Susan Burgess-Cox to the group as she is the only resident to seek one of the two three-year terms up for grabs. The other candidate for a full-term is incumbent Lisa Fiore.

Current School Committee member Thomas Caputo is running unopposed to fill the remaining two years of the seat he was appointed to in November.

Tara Donner pulled nomination papers to run for a School Committee seat but did not return them to Cushman by Tuesday’s deadline.

Also running unopposed are:

  • Mike Widmer, Town Moderator
  • Martin B. Millane, Jr. (incumbent), Board of Assessors
  • Dr. David Alper (incumbent), Board of Health
  • Donna Brescia (incumbent), Belmont Housing Authority
  • Ellen Cushman (incumbent), Cemetery Commission

The race for the two seats on Board of Library Trustees saw Chair Matthew Lowrie did not seek re-election. In his place, Mary Alice Wistman, a past president of the Friends of the Belmont Public Library, will run to fill that seat.

 

 

Freshman Krafian Leads Belmont at Div. 3 State Indoor Track Championships

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Photo: Freshman Carey Allard handing off to anchor sophomore Marley Williams in the 4×200 meter relay in the MIAA Division 3 state championships held on Feb. 13, 2015.

Anoush Krafian has been on the high school track and field circuit for less than three months but the Belmont High School freshman has made it known that she is a young force to be reckoned with after a series of strong performances in league and class races.

On the biggest stage she’s been on so far on Friday afternoon at the MIAA Division 3 indoor track and field state championships at the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury, Krafian showed off her prodigious talents by nearly pulled off a stunning result, just miss winning a high jump state championship placing runner up to Chicopee High junior Mia Facchini. Facchini, Krafian and third place Meaghan Kelley from Tantasqua Regional High School all cleared 5 feet, 2 inches but their placements were determined by the number of jumps taken during the competition. 

With that second place and another great result in the 55 meter hurdles, Krafian led Belmont High School Girls’ Indoor Track and Field team to a 9th place finish totaling 19 points, 12 coming from the freshman.

Krafian was the only 9th grader in the entire 24 competitor field for the 55-meter hurdles, reaching the finals after qualifying in the top eight. In the finals against seniors and juniors, Krafian sped over the five hurdles to a fifth-place finish, breaking the line in 9.05 seconds, an event won by defending champ senior Isabella DiMare from Notre Dame Hingham (who also won the 55-meter dash and placed third in the 300 meters) who took the top spot in 8.57.

Belmont’s other points came in two relays with the 4×200 meter with sophomore Julia Cella, junior Meggie MacAuley, freshman Carey Allard and sophomore Marley Williams taking third in 1:48.34 and the 4×400 with sophomore Alexandra Bailey, senior Lizzie Frick, sophomore Jenna Magno and junior Katherine Ognibene coming home in 4:21.59 for eighth place.

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The Marauders brought a young team that could make considerably more noise next year as several individuals gained great experience:

  • Williams ran a 7.64 in the 55 meter dash.
  • Cella (43.02) finished 9th, Allard (43.29) 10th and MacAuley (44.38) 15th in the 300 meters.
  • Bailey finished 11th (1:42.19) in the 600 meters.
  • Sophomore Amelia Rasmussen ran a 3:13.36 in the 1,000 meters for 11th.
  • Klimasmith took 10th in the 2 mile in 12:16.62.
  • Joining Krafin in the hurdles were junior Samantha Kelts in 11th (9.63) and sophomore Rachel Berets in 18th in 9.8.
  • Belmont’s 4×800 relay (junior Meredith Hughes, Klimasmith, sophomore Ally Meringer and Rasmussen) ran a 10:21.3 for 11th.

Over in the boys’ meet, a pair of seniors scored the eight points placing Belmont in a tie for 19th place.

Owen Madden came home in 5th in the 300 meters in 37.18, five one-hundreths of second out of fourth while Ari Silverfine ran a 2:36.86 to take 5th in the 1,000 meters. Both of Belmont’s relay teams just missed the points by finishing in 9th: 4×800 meter team of seniors Dan Rizzo, Charles Smith and Silverfine along with freshman Zach Tseng in 8:33.93 and the 4×400 meter of seniors John Decoulos, Madden, Silverfine and freshman Calvin Perkins coming home in 3:40.58, just a hundredth of a second behind Stoughton in eighth.

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3 Up, 3 Down, Tournament Bound: Belmont Girls’ Hoops Strides into Post-Season

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Three games in three days is a tough proposition for most professional teams. For a squad of high schoolers, a trio of games in as many days is a daunting prospect.

So when the Belmont High School Girls’ Basketball team was forced because of the numerous snow storms to play a triple header – two of the opponents playoff-bound with double digit wins – at the end of last week, the coaching staff was a bit concerned how the team would stand up to playing 96 minutes within 48 hours.

“It’s not what we are looking to end our [Middlesex] league schedule and get into the playoffs,” said Melissa Hart, Belmont’s head coach as the team was coming off a two-game losing streak and standing a single game from making the post-season.

But by 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 13, the Marauders had completed a three-peat, defeating Lexington, Wakefield and Winchester to stride into the Div. 2 North Sectional playoffs. With a pair of post-season tournament games on Monday and Tuesday remaining, Belmont has upped its record to 12-5, one of the team’s best marks in the past decade.

“It’s nice to be [in the playoffs] so some of the pressure will be off the team,” said Hart, after the team’s victory against 12-win Lexington, 51-45, on Wednesday, Feb. 11, giving the team its 10th victory and an automatic entry into the sectional tournament.

The match-up was the return of Lexington’s superstar Anna Kelly, the junior guard who scored 52 points the last time she visited Belmont’s Wenner Field House a year ago. But this time, Kelly picked up two quick fouls and sat on the Lexington bench for most of the first half.

Without their all-star point scoring and directing the squad, Lexington could not break Belmont’s unrelenting defense and the Marauders’ took the game to the Minutemen.

The game for Belmont was a tale of two players in the two halves. In the first 16 minutes, junior forward Sarah Stewart took charge, on the defensive side with four defensive rebounds, two blocks, a steal and several examples of court diving at loose balls and offensively by going three for five from beyond the 3-point line for  to power Belmont to a 28-10 lead at the half.

“Making [3 point shots] was unknown land for me,” said Steward, who said she has been encouraged by the coaches to throw up trey when she’s open.

“I now have a new home,” said Steward, who is known as Stewy by her teammates.

It was only a matter of time before Kelly would reemerge, and she did in a big way in the second half. The 5’6″ three year starter is a natural on the hardwood and she came out with a vengeance, throwing up threes and sweeping underhanded scoop shots, scoring 11 of her game-high 22 points in the third quarter to led the Minutemen back to 35-28 with the final eight minutes to play.

Soon after Stewart started the fourth with her third 3 pointer, the school’s fire alarm went off, sending players, coaches, the crowd and a collection of very young swimmers from the adjacent Higginbottom Pool out into the frigid cold for a few minutes before it was decided for everyone’s health that it was better to wait by the gym’s doors.

While many of the other players may have cooled off, freshman point guard Carly Christofori got hot for the Marauders. The 9th grader put a first-class steal on Kelly as the all-star was driving to hoop – one of Christofori’s three steals in the quarter – before racing to the offensive end to hit a trio of driving layups and going 3 for 4 from the charity stripe to score 11 of the teams 16 points in the quarter to secure the victory.

“To play against someone as good as [Kelly] and succeed some of the time is great,” said Christofori, who said the team needed to stay focus once the fire alarm went off “so we could concentrate on keeping the lead and securing the win.

Belmont’s trademark aggressive defense has been frustrating opponents who has met the Marauders for the first time and that was the case Thursday, Feb. 12 when Belmont handily defeated Wakefield, 51-30, on Seniors’ Night at the Wenner.

The Marauders pressured the Warriors – who came into the game with an identical 10-5 record – up and down the court, at times triple teaming the second Wakefield player to handle the ball. The result was 12 steals (four each from seniors Sophia Eschenbach-Smith and Elena Bragg) in a game that was the closest to a total “team” win this season. Ten Marauders’ scored and each of the 15 varsity players got time on the court.

Belmont led after the first quarter, 14-4, and 23-10 at the half with freshman Jenny Call hit two of her three 3-point in both the first and second quarter and senior center Linda Herlihy‘s mid-range jumper. The Marauders blew the game wide open with a 22-point third quarter with Stewart hitting all four of her shots.

By Friday’s away game, fatigue appeared to set in as the Marauders carried themselves over the finish line by defeating Winchester, 38-20, in a game that Hart described as “ugly.”

“Friday the 13th for both teams shooting,” she said.

Just how poor was it? Belmont led at the half 13-1. Herlihy scored a third of Belmont’s points finishing with 12 points, all from near the basket, while Call and Bragg each had 6 points.

Belmont now heads for a pair of games at the 2015 Spartan Classic in Lynn – the first against Bedford – before finishing the season with a home game Wednesday, Feb. 18 at 11 a.m. against Worcester North.