Belmont Rugby Dominates State Champs Hendricken in Historic Home Win

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Photo: Senior Wing/Center Norman Kilavatitu heading downfield with everyone in tow.

Belmont High School Club Rugby’s midweek match with visiting arch-rival Bishop Hendricken High School was expected to be a titanic battle between the finalists of the past two Massachusetts Youth Rugby Organization state championships.

But the match did not follow the anticipated script. Instead, on Wednesday night, April 1, the hosts placed a historic marker on the 2015 season by dominating the Hawks, 29-5, before the biggest crowd in recent memory for a rugby contest at Harris Field.

“A great night. I couldn’t be happier for the kids, they played fantastic,” said Belmont Head Coach Greg Bruce as he grabbed jubilant players to give each words of praise and encouragement.

The win marked Belmont’s first regular season victory over Hendricken in five attempts and only the second time it came off the field on top (the other time was Belmont’s 2013 state championship win).

On the pitch, the man of the match was senior flyhalf Paul Campbell to scored three five-point trys (the equivalent  of a football touchdown) and kicked a two-point conversion as he demonstrated the prowess and talent which made him a three-year starter.

Campbell’s opening try was a thing of beauty and smarts. Receiving the ball from captain and senior scrum half Darren Chan, Campbell kicked the ball over the heads of the defenders, charged through them, catching the ball between a host of Hendricken backs and carried Hawks over the touchline.

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The first half – a game has 35-minute halfs – saw Belmont knocked back against its touch line twice but was able to withstand the initial push with overpowering scrums and rock solid defense as Chan repeatedly tackled his scrum half counterpart before he even could pick up the ball to start the offense and Campbell and Campbell McCready each made solid open field tackles that sent the Belmont sideline yelling its approval.

After Belmont’s first try, the Belmont steadily built momentum – as a number of key players arrived from performing in the High School’s Spring Concert – which allowed Campbell to handoff to Marco Perrone playing blind side flanker for the first time. With help from senior lock Nick Ryan, Perrone – hardly the biggest player on the grounds – rammed his way into touch.

Hendricken would not go quietly, producing a wonderful try with a 35 meter open field run and was gaining momentum as Belmont was down a man due to a 10-minute penalty when the half was called.

But the Hawks was feeling the effects of Belmont’s physical forwards and chasing the host’s speedy ends. Soon, it was Belmont going on wild runs down the sidelines, placing them in position to see Campbell collect a hat-trick and Perrone his second. With five minutes left, both teams began substituting senior players with youngsters as the victory was already sealed.

The keys to the victory were learned on the practice field, said Bruce.

“Hard work, lots of it, total commitment and no regrets every single day. That’s one of our mantras and they did it tonight,” said Bruce, pointing out Ryan “played out of his skin tonight” along with Bryce Christian, Peter Durkin, sophomore Eli Gullage and the big men up front, Deshawn Frederick, Jacob Hale and Omar Escobar.

“It was incredible. We asked the kids just react a little bit faster to everything, just a second faster. We knew if they did that, we’d win the game,” said Bruce, who has been the team’s head coach since the club’s inception.

The game will because a touchstone for the remainder of the season, said Bruce.

“We know BC High is coming into the season with high hopes so they are definitely someone to look out for, and St. John’s Prep, always dangerous. These are schools with a thousand-plus boys (Belmont High School has just a hair more than 550 young men). For some of those teams, it’s not a matter of rebuilding but reloading,” he said.

 

Rugby World Comes to Belmont for Matchup Between HS Champions

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Photo: Coach Greg Bruce with the team on Monday.

Greg Bruce, the head coach of the Belmont Rugby Club, said Wednesday night’s meeting between the two best high school XV (indicating 15 players) in New England east of Hartford is special enough that the New England Rugby Referee Society is sending a pair of assistant referees/touch judges along with the game referee. 

“We only see that for the big games,” a smiling Bruce told the Belmontonian after a particularly muddy practice on Monday, March 30.

In the most anticipated matchup of the regular season, Belmont hosts arch-rival Bishop Hendricken High School from Warwick, RI in a rematch of the past two Division 1 Massachusetts State champions. (Bishop Hendricken plays in Massachusetts due to the lack of competition in the Island State.) 

The game will take place at 7:30 p.m. on the Harris Field which is adjacent to the “Skip” Viglirolo Skating Rink on Concord Avenue.

In May 2013, Belmont took its first Div. 1 state championships, 17-5, over the Hawks while Hendricken defeated Belmont, 21-19, last year in a match where BRC twice was within five meters of scoring a five-point “try” (the equivalent of a touchdown) in the dying minutes of the game.

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“I would say at this stage of the season it is the one everyone is looking forward to,” said Bruce. 

The match is the second of the season for Belmont, having shutout by a wide margin the Div. 2 squad from Lincoln-Sudbury High this past Friday, March 27.

But for Bruce, the celebration of that win needed to be replaced with preparation for this next match.

 

“You have to get Lincoln-Sudbury out of your minds,” said Bruce in a post-practice huddle with the team.

“What I need you to do is start thinking about Bishop Hendricken, the challenge that lays before you is what you are going to do to help your brothers and sister [senior Rashunda Webb plays with the boys] to get the most out of this team collectively because it won’t be individual effort that will win this game,” said Bruce. 

That collective approach to the game breeds a sense of family developed in the mud and grind that has created not just another outstanding team in Belmont but has established a culture of rugby in the school and increasingly town-wide. The team was established just eight years ago in 2007 and it began playing competitively for the past seven.

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“In the first year we had 20 tough hooligans who came out so they could take each others heads off and they were all best friends!” he said

“But little by little, we began growing and started winning and than other kids wanted a taste of that success,” said Bruce.

A big advantage in creating this atmosphere is that along with Bruce, many of the coaches – all long-time players themselves in college and with area teams – are teachers at the high school, checking up on the players in the halls and drumming up interest.

“They have a deep love for the game and they all ended up in Belmont,” said Bruce. 

In addition, from day one, the involvement of the parents and supporters “has been amazing,” he said. 

The team is the most diverse sports team at the school, with the large number of players of different races, cultures and nationalities such as French and Chilean. 

“We don’t say no to anyone,” said Bruce. “And when you don’t say no and the ethos of this game is community and working together … and when you bring that to a place where kids are looking for something to belong to, the rest takes care of itself,”

That feeling of belonging is certainly felt by the students.

“It’s a game like no other,” said senior captain and scrumhalf Darren Chan.

“The comradery, the brotherhood, the amazing coaches we have with this program, they all make a huge difference where Belmont is today,” Chan said.

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Belmont Girls’ Hoops Coach Hart One of Few Females Leading Team to Semis

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Photo: Melissa Hart, Belmont Girls’ Basketball head coach, conducting practice on Tuesday, March 3.

Melissa Hart is having fun at practice.

In the same Wenner Field House where she played on an 18-2 “Lady Marauders” hoops team and underneath the dusty banner celebrating the soccer squad winning the state championships – in which she was the starting goalkeeper – Hart is banging on a table with her hands, yelling out encouragement, having a blast a day before the (next) biggest game of the season.

“Cheaters don’t prosper,” Hart yelled over to a group of players who exaggerated the number of baskets they made during one drill.

For Hart and the team, the practice was a chance to iron out kinks and prepare a game plan for their highly-anticipated encounter in the Div. 2 North Sectional semifinals against number one seed and undefeated (19-0) arch-rival Watertown High on Wednesday, March 4, at 8 p.m.

“We’re not going to be nervous; we’re going to be … ,” said Hart to her team in the final huddle.

” … the ‘Eye of the Tiger’,” assistant coach Stephen Conley calls out, before going into an a cappella rendition of the Survivor song used in some “Rocky” movie as the team collectively laughed.

“Get that warrior face on. Stare them in the face and say ‘We are going to win. We have a road we’re traveling on!,” said Hart with the confidence of a coach who knows what will motivate her team.

Yet when she leads her team (16-6 with two playoff victories under its belt) out onto the court at Mystic River Regional Charter School in Malden, Hart will be an outlier in the sport; a woman coaching a girls’ basketball program.

In the top-three North divisions in the MIAA tournament this year, just 3 of the 12 head coaches in the sectional semifinals are woman – one of four in each division.

The drop is a phenomena advancing through the college and Olympic ranks. USA Today reported last month that since Title IX – requiring gender equity for boys and girls in all educational program receiving federal funding, including athletics – was enacted in 1972, the percentage of female coaches heading women sports programs in colleges and universities nationwide has slide from 90 percent to 40 percent. And that number will drop further as statistic show men are being hired at a 2/3 rate over females to head women’s programs.

In 2012, the Washington Post found that of the five sports — basketball, field hockey, soccer, volleyball and water polo — in which the United States sent a women’s team under a single head coach to the London Olympics, only the soccer coach was a woman.

Hart said since she began coaching the girls’ at her alma mater six years ago, she can only remember one man replacing a woman in the Middlesex League, which Belmont plays a vast majority of their games.

“It’s not been a problem in our league, but I have heard it mentioned,” she said.

While Hart would not say that she or another woman have an edge in directing girls, her players said a female coach – especially one who has played the game – brings an advantage a man lacks.

“Boys and girls basketball is completely different,” said senior Sophia Eschenbach-Smith, who, with fellow senior Elena Bragg, have been coached by males in AAU programs.

“From the pace, how girls rebound to just how boys box out, it’s those details that she has an advantage over a man,” said Eschenbach-Smith. “She can demonstrate stuff a little more comfortably than a man.”

Both players noted that men are quicker to “put you down, saying ‘Oh, you were wrong.’ That doesn’t really work. [Hart] is more supportive,” said Eschenbach-Smith.

“[Male and female] coaches give motivation differently. [Hart] gives energy through words while male coaches give energy through volume,” said Bragg.

Family pressures

While USA Today and the Post point to higher salaries and a greater acceptance by men that coaching women is a great place to continue in the game, Hart sees it from a different angle. While many women are eager to stay in basketball and coach, they – and she – will likely feel the pressure and cost to “our lives,” said Hart.

Hart has seen several women who were or wanted to enter coaching only to discover their lives – job, marriage, education and children – and coaching basketball (or other sports) just doesn’t mix.

“It’s unfair, but it’s still women who take on more of the childcare or just household tasks,” said Hart.

That’s not the case for many men, whether they are single or in a relationship, she said.

“The sheer population of men willing to prioritize coaching in their life, and interested, is much greater than double the women,” Hart said.

In addition, no one is going to get rich coaching high school basketball, outside of Kevin Boyle, who was paid $100,000 to “teach” boys’ basketball at Montverde Academy, near Orlando.

“[What] effects women in coaching is the idea that it does not pay much money and, in fact, might actually cost more to arrange childcare in the Boston area than the money made from the actual coaching job,” she said.

“I left college coaching (Hart was head coach at MIT for eight years) because of many of the reasons” including having kids and not making enough money to justify being away from her son and two daughters.

Today, Hart is an anomaly, a coach with children and the resources so she can commit to the job.

“I almost look at it personally as something I can do in this community. The financial gain from coaching is minimal, but [our family] can afford to simply use the money [for that purpose]. I make enough to defray costs of childcare. I do not think I would be able to do the job otherwise, at least not as I would like to,” she said.

“I am only fortunate that … I am in a place where I can do this, save the guilt from my children saying ‘[You] love basketball more’ or bemoaning ‘why I have to go again to basketball’,” she said.

In addition to the pull of family, there is just a greater amount of men who are able and willing to take on the challenge. In addition, women feel that they must “prove” they “know our stuff.”

“The majority of women who think they are ‘qualified’ to coach, are women who played through college,” said Hart. “There are plenty of men who did not play in college, may not have played even through high school, that are in the coaching ranks,” she said.

While playing at Hamilton College – where Hart still holds the record for single-season scoring average at 25 points per game – she discovered the male head coach was a collegiate diver with limited basketball background.

With women more often the ones pulled away from family obligations and the greater pool of male candidates, “and one out of four does not not even seem a crazy ratio at all,” she said.

But the falling number of female coaches at all levels can be reversed, said Hart. In addition to making coaching more “family friendly” by defraying the cost of childcare, practice schedules need to accommodate a coach’s busy life outside the gym.

“If it is something more people wanted to see, I think … athletic departments have to be flexible and creative to allow women to be able to coach without interruption,” Hart said.

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.