Reportedly Belmont Signing On To Proposal to Start HS A Little Later in Day

March 22, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker 1 Comment

Photo: A little more sleep for high school students is being proposed by superintendents whose schools participate in the Middlesex League.

Belmont High students shouldn’t just yet set forward the time their alarms go off in the morning, but it appears the Belmont School District will join a growing number of districts who participate in the Middlesex League athletic conference to study a proposal to allow high schools to start later in the day to accommodate the needs of teens for greater sleep.

Sources say Belmont Superintendent John Phelan will announce at tonight’s School Committee meeting, Tuesday, March 22, that he supports a proposal written by Burlington Superintendent Dr. Eric Conti that would begin the propose of possibly allowing each high school to start the school day up to an hour later than their current schedule.

A Belmont High student’s day runs from 7:35 a.m. to 2:25 p.m.

In his proposal, Conti echos calls by the growing number of later-start-time activists who cite studies showing many high school students are sleep deprived which effects their social and emotional behavior and their ability to learn.

Under the proposal, data would be compiled in the fall of 2016, senerios set up and studied before community forums are conducted in each town. Currently, the earliest the proposal would go into effect is the fall of 2018.

The schools in the Middlesex League include:

Arlington
Belmont
Burlington
Lexington
Melrose
Reading
Stoneham
Wakefield
Watertown
Wilmington
Winchester
Woburn

Coffeehouse Hits Right Chord Helping Stock Youth Homeless Shelter

March 21, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Acts at “Coffeehouse for a Cause”

It was great music for a good cause as Belmont High School’s Working to Help the Homeless Club – WTHH – brought together talented classmates with a large audience on Thursday, March 10 at its annual “Coffeehouse for a Cause” fundraiser as it worked towards the goal of stocking the food pantry at a new youth shelter in Cambridge, Y2Y Harvard Square.

Approximately $1,700 was raised at the end of the night which was added to nearly $2,000 of food and $300 in cash collected by WTHH at Belmont’s Star Market on Saturday, Feb. 28. Twenty-nine boxes and twenty-five bags were filled to help create meals for the 22 homeless young adults who sleep at the shelter every night.

Working to Help the Homeless Officers (from left) John Mahon and Barry Eom, along with WTHH members Sophia Windemuth and Ann Pan, as well as Star Market Manager Janet Cunningham (at right) at Star Market on Feb. 28.

Last year, WTHH donated nearly $1,600 to the shelter while it was still in the planning phase. The shelter opened in December 2015 and is only the second (and largest) shelter for young adults in the Boston area. The good news is that there is now a total of 34 beds between the two shelters; the bad news is that the area needs them.

“Over the past year, our club has gotten much more active in our affiliation with Y2Y. I hope that Y2Y and WTHH can continue building a good relationship, growing together as we all help tackle homelessness in the greater Boston area,” said Barry Eom, WTHH co-president.

If you would like to donate to Y2K through BHS, please send a check, payable to Y2Y Harvard Square, to Alice Melnikoff, Belmont High School, 221 Concord Ave., Belmont, MA 02478.

Run With A Champion on April 10 At Inaugural Becca Pizzi 5K

March 15, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker 1 Comment

Photo: Becca Pizzi.

In four weeks, you’ll get the chance to run with a world champion, and you won’t have to leave Belmont.

On Sunday, April 10, the inaugural Becca Pizzi Family Fun Run will take place over the same route as the Brendon Home Run. Sponsored by Belmont Savings Bank, the Family Fun Run is the newest road race in Belmont, celebrating Pizzi winning the 2016 World Marathon Challenge in which she ran – and won! – seven marathons in seven days on seven continents.

The race will also act as a special send-off celebration for Pizzi and all Boston Marathon runners who will run the historic 26.2 mile BAA event eight days later.Speaking before the Board of Selectmen at its meeting Monday, March 14, Pizzi said the race is her way of giving back to the community that supported her during the Marathon Challenge.

Race proceeds will benefit the Becca Pizzi Scholarship Foundation, which will help high school students as they head to college, just as she was a recipient of a scholarship also.

The 5K (3.1 miles) race will start and finish at Belmont High School’s Harris Field track at 9 a.m. with a one-mile kid’s race will take place at 9:05 a.m.The race will include a 5K run. It will also include a 1-mile run for kids around the Belmont High School track.T-shirts will be available for the first 200 5K registrants. Stick around after the race for awards and fun activities!

Registration:Register here on Racewire.com. Registration fee is $25 for 5K runners and $10 for kids running in the 1-mile race.

Route:The 5K will begin and end on the Belmont High School track. See the route map below.

Sports: Belmont Girls’ Hoop Dreams End to Watertown in Sectional Finals

March 13, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker 1 Comment

Photo: Belmont players listening to Head Coach Melissa Hart as Watertown receives the Sectional trophy.

The hoop dreams of Belmont High School Girls’ Basketball team came to an end at 8:37 p.m. on Saturday, March 12, as the final buzzer ended a brilliant two-week run of upsets and spirited play as arch rivals Watertown (once again) walked off the court at Woburn High School with their second consecutive Division 2 North title.

And as the Raiders swept onto the floor to accept its trophy, Belmont’s girls – many in tears – circled arm in arm around their coaches, to hear why this loss did not define their season.

“I think we tried our hardest, but the calls were not on our side in the second half, to say the least,” said Sarah Stewart, the senior co-captain who was its leader on and off the court.

After a first half in which Belmont executed its game plan to near perfection against the four-time consecutive North finalists (the past three years in Division 2 and the first in Division 3) to enter the half with a five-point lead, 26-21, the second half saw the Marauders slip from “drive” to “neutral” scoring just 20 points, five in the third quarter.

“Obviously, Watertown made and shots and we didn’t. Our defense was really good in the half, but we struggled with scoring,” said Belmont Head Coach Melissa Hart, who praised Watertown’s senior forward Katelyn Rourke, her division’s MVP, who along with junior center Shannon Murphy, scored 12 points, both making only two baskets while scoring eight points from the free throw line.

“[Rourke] showed today why she’s the MVP. We should have adjusted better in the third quarter when she started to take command,” said Hart.

The Raiders would also benefit from 16 minutes of generous officials whistles. While the free throws were slightly in Belmont’s favor in the first half, 18-13, the second half saw Watertown go to the line 25 times to Belmont’s nearly non-existent 6. At one point early in the fourth quarter, the team fouls benefited the Raiders 10-3.

“It’s tough when both teams are playing physical, and the fouls are so one-sided,” said Hart.

While reluctant to speak of the reason for the five-to-one margin in the second half, a seven-year-old son of a friend came to Hart to ask “Why didn’t they call the penalties?”

“What he said,” said Hart.

If the game ended in heartbreak, it started as a mirror of the Marauders’ final five games in which the team played an aggressive defense that led its offense.

“We had been with each other since 10:30 [in the] morning, so we were like so sick of each other. But when we entered this gym, we were like sisters. And in the first half, we were like a family on the court,” said Stewart.

After allowing a quick basket, senior co-captain Samari Winklaar (5 points) hit two from the free throw line and sophomore Jenny Call (game-high 10 points) sunk the first of two threes to give Belmont the lead.

Watertown’s senior Felicia Korte (11 points) made her own three to up the Raider lead by one, 7-6, only for Belmont sophomore all-star guard Carly Christofori (9 points) to hit her own three to recapture the lead, 9-7. Senior Irini Nikolaidis (3 points) drove the baseline to make the basket and hit the foul shot to increase the Marauders lead to 12-7. Finally, Stewart (7 points) threw in a long two to up Belmont’s lead by 7, 14-7, at the 2:20 mark. Belmont would take a 15-11 result in the second quarter.

On the defensive end, Belmont freshman center Jess Giorgio (2 points) made life miserable for Murphy, playing the Holy Cross-bound even up including stuffing the league all-star once (for a jump ball), causing a turnover and causing her to pick up three first half fouls.

Watertown would knot the game up at 16 before Call hit a contested jumper to put Belmont in the lead again, 18-16.

If there could have been a turning point in the game, it occurred at the 4:20 mark when it appeared Christofori was fouled as she was making a driving basket. But the referee said the violation happened before the shot and disallowed the chance for a three-point play.

On Watertown’s next possession, the gym erupted when it clearly appeared the Raiders’ guard was guilty of a carrying violation. The sequence ended with Watertown scoring to reduce its deficit to two, 20-18.

Belmont sophomore Greta Propp (2 points) and freshman point guard Meghan Tan (3 points) each hit a pair of free throws while driving Giorgio was fouled by Murphy. She made her two and Belmont would match its largest lead of 7 points, 26-19, and then take a five-point lead at the half.

“We were trusting on the court which was not the case in the regular season,” said Stewart. “Coming to the tournament, we really learned to trust each other. So when someone has the ball, they are going to do something best for the team, not just them,” she said.

The third quarter saw both teams up the defensive pressure with Watertown attempting to go inside at every chance while Belmont kept firing from the outside. Soon, Watertown was heading to the charity stripe while Belmont’s shots were rimming out.

Watertown would take the lead when senior Nicole Lanzo (9 points) knocked in a straightaway three to give the Raiders’ a 29-26 lead.

Then a Winklaar three followed by a Winklaar-to-Giorgio-to-Stewart jumper saw Belmont with the lead with 48 seconds remaining in the quarter. But a free throw each from Rourke and Murphy tied the score game up at 31 entering the final eight minutes.

Rather than a free-flowing last quarter, the game was reduced to a seemingly constant trip to the free throw line for the Raiders as they went 11 for 15 from the line. Watertown would only make four baskets in the final 16 minutes, one less than Belmont.

An NBA-styled move in the lane from Christofori got Belmont within a single possession at 40-37 with three minutes to go. But even when Murphy fouled out with 1:40 remaining, Belmont could not come closer than Call’s final points, a three, to cut the lead to the final score.

For Stewart, the team came one game short of its goal of making it to the TD Garden for the Eastern Massachusetts. But the past fortnight, the girls created a unique experience in defeating three higher seeds and came together as a group.

“This team, this year, was definitely a huge challenge to be a captain because there were so many players (18 during the season). We were scared at first but having a big team changed us because everybody brought something to the table, and that’s what made us-us. And that’s what brought the team this far,” she said, finally flashing a smile.

Marauders Sets Sight on North Championship vs Rival Watertown

March 11, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Head Coach Melissa Hart at practice.

During a short break at Thursday’s practice, Belmont High Girls’ Basketball Head Coach Melissa Hart points to a team title banner high on the wall of the Wenner Field House, as her team searched for the last time the girls won a sectional championship.

“State Championship Girls Soccer” the banner reads. Hart knows it’s up there because she was the team’s goalkeeper.

“And we also started against Marblehead,” said Hart, referring to the first playoff game her team won, just like the team she now coaches.

Soon afterwards, it was back to practice: running plays, three-on-three full court games, and running “suicides.” The drills have a lighthearted feel as the girls demonstrate a comfortable comradery found on teams with a special chemistry.

After practice ended, Hart looked back at the wall.

“I want these girls to have a banner up there,” she said,

That wish continues on Saturday night, March 12, at 7 p.m. at the Woburn High School gym when Hart’s Marauders will battle traditional and historic rival, neighboring Watertown High School for the Division 2 North championship which the Raiders won last year.

The road to the championships has been a thriller as the 10th-ranked Marauders have upset the 7th (Marblehead), 3rd (Arlington Catholic) and the 2nd (Newburyport) seeds, twice on the road and the last game on a neutral site. It’s a run that many outside of Belmont didn’t really see happening coming into the tournament at 11-9, having badly stumbled in the middle of the season.

But over the final two weeks of the regular season and during this run, the team has begun to come together, working confidently on both sides of the ball. Unlike earlier in the season, including it league game with Watertown, the girls are unlikely to panic or play scared when pressured by good players and teams.

In each of its playoff games, Belmont has faced deficits – in the last two, falling behind in the second half – only to continue to play their game and pull the game out.

“The girls have the confidence now that they are as good as they are,” said Hart. “They know they’re good enough. They’re in a good place,” said Hart.

Hart said the familiarity of Belmont with Watertown – the squads are in the Middlesex League and many of the players are on the same or rival AAU teams – takes away the element of surprise when approaching the game as a coach.

“It’s basically the same team they had last year,” said Hart, referring to last year’s sectional semifinals in which Belmont could not overcome a double-digit shortfall to fall 49-40.

“We’ve seen plenty of [Watertown]. We know what they have and they know us to a certain extent,” said Hart.

Watertown’s All-Star Junior Center Shannon Murphy usually leads the scoring. Other big contributors are senior forwards Katelyn Rourke and Felicia Korte – who is also a good defender – and senior guard Nicole Lanzo. Senior point guard Michaela Antonellis brings up the ball and plays tough D, as she did in the Raiders’ semifinal win against Triton.

“[Watertown has] got good players like Antonellis. They’re tough. Their two posts (Murphy and Rourke) are tough and they are legitimate threats.”

“But we’ve seen a lot of great posts in the last week and a half, a lot of big girls who are all-stars. We were able to stop them from hurting us. We know what to do,” said Hart.

Belmont’s heart and soul is its three senior co-captains – Sarah Stewart who takes on the center or tall forward, Samari Winklaar who led Belmont in scoring against AC and Irini Nikolaidis who hit five straight free throws in the final two minutes vs Newburyport.

The Marauders is also a young squad. The point guard is sophomore all-star Carly Christofori who works with sophomore Jenny Call in the back court. First off the bench are freshmen who in the past two weeks have become steady contributors: guard Meghan Tan and center Jess Giorgio who is becoming a real stopper down low. There could be times when Belmont will have three sophomores and two freshman on the floor.

Watertown Head Coach Patrick Ferdinand told the Watertown News that “Belmont, [has] a lot of good basketball kids out there. The coach, Melissa, is extremely smart and they work really, really hard.”

The Raiders will not come into the game expecting a repeat of the past two games against the Marauders.

“It doesn’t matter (what happened in the first game). It’s 0-0. We don’t look at what happened before. We just look at some stuff that happened that game how we can fix it or go off it,” said Ferdinand.

Hart believes that Watertown will enter the game with a positive outlook to the contest due to its past success in the tournament including last year’s trip to the state semifinals and a 23-1 record.

“Watertown has built confidence over their years of success,” said Hart, noting it’s Watertown’s fourth time in the North finals.

“When teams win a lot they expect it a little more. That’s how [Watertown] carries themselves,” she said.

Hart said Belmont is beginning to feel that same self-assurance during its impressive three-game run.

“And now our girls are starting to realize that they can carry themselves that way too,” said Hart.

Annual Acoustic Coffeehouse Thursday to Help End Homelessness

March 9, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Image.

Belmont High School’s Working to Help the Homeless Club will host its third annual acoustic Coffeehouse on Thursday, March 10 at 7 p.m. in the school’s cafeteria.

With music, ice cream, and homemade goodies, it is sure to be a great night. Open to all, tickets – which includes ice cream and other treats – are $5 at Champions Sporting Goods in Belmont Center and at the door.

Our performers will include:

Naria Sealy, Ashley Townsend, and Nic Neves
Wonyoung Jang, Evan Wagner, and Ben Crocker
Jasper Wolf, Nico Albano, Tommy Slap, Tino Decoulos, Aidan Hamell
Isabella Jaen Maisonet and Olivia Pierce
Ashley Townsend
Michael Rodriguez and Nathaniel Taylor
Becca Schwarz and Amelia Ickes
Kail Pellicane
Navya Jain and Mahima Sindhu
Jen Tan, Emily Logan, and Lilikoi Bronson
Josie Cooper and Kiara Holm
Elizabeth Galli and Viola Monovich
Rafi Wagner, Benton Jones, Jack Merullo, Matt Thompson, Bella Martin, Haig Hovsepian, Nic Neves, Clay Moyles, Danny Holt and Joe Wenzel
Ben Covell
Barry Eom

Last year’s coffeehouse was a huge success, raising over $1600 for the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter Youth Housing Initiative (Y2Y Harvard Square). Working to Help the Homeless Club decided to donate the money to the same cause this year as well. Y2Y Harvard Square is the second youth-only shelter in the Boston area, serving homeless people between the ages of 18 and 24. The shelter, which opened in November, is run by Harvard students and works to create safe and secure futures for homeless youth (hence the name Y2Y, or youth to youth).

The Coffeehouse for a Cause is sure to be a blast and benefits an excellent cause. Show your support for Belmont High School’s exceptional performers and the Working to Help the Homeless club.

Championship Bound: Belmont Upsets Arlington Catholic for Spot in Sectional Finals

March 9, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Samari Winklaar (center) after the team’s victory vs. Arlington Catholic. (photo by Kenneth Leinbach)

With just seconds left in the third quarter and Belmont with a tenuous three-point lead over favorite Arlington Catholic, Belmont High’s senior co-captain Samari Winklaar wasn’t thinking about playing it safe and holding onto the ball near the right corner of the court to allow the clock to run out.

“I knew I was going to take that shot,” said Winklaar.

With a pair of Cougars draped over her and off a bad angle, Winklaar half pushed/half flung a prayer towards the basket as she fell into the first row of the benches in the Billerica High gym in front of a bus load of noisy Belmont fans.

And as the buzzer went off, the prayer was answered as the ball hit nothing but the bottom of the net.

As Winklaar (who led Belmont with 13 points (2 threes) and going 7-8 from the free-throw line) dove into her teammates arms, the Marauders’ lead doubled to 29-23 while the confidence of the 2014 State Champions was all but crushed by the improbable hoop.

“We said ‘we made it this far, we just need to keep going,” said sophomore point guard Carly Christofori.

Employing its trademark suffocating defense and running past the Cougars in the third quarter, Belmont defeated the three seed – the third higher seed the team has beaten – in a Division 2 North semifinal thriller, 45-38, on Tuesday, March 8. For the first time in decades, Belmont will play in a sectional final on Saturday, March 12.

“We kept our composure well. We didn’t rattle easily today and even though we had trouble scoring, we gritted it out,” said Belmont Head Coach Melissa Hart.

[Unfortuantly, the game was virtually ignored by the three major sports outlets – the Boston Herald, Boston.com and ESPN Boston – while the media focused on nearly all other playoff games on Tuesday.]

While the time and location remain to be determined, the Marauders’ opponent will be the winner of the Triton/Watertown match on Wednesday, March 9, which could result in a dream match with the defending Division 2 North champions attempting to repeat with its traditional rivals standing in its way.

“Another shot at Watertown. I love it,” said Hart.

Belmont is heading to the finals on a foundation of a tenacious defense that proved as psychologically devastating as it is physically exhausting for Arlington Catholic.

“Our defense frazzled them, and Arlington Catholic is a good team,” said Hart as Belmont’s in-their-face defensive approach prevented the Cougars from running its set plays, requiring them to search for alternatives, and launching more difficult shots.

In the key matchup of the game, Arlington Catholic’s big players 6′ 1″ Lena Perez and 6’3″ Demiana Fogarty were kept in check by Belmont’s counterparts; senior Sarah Stewart and freshman Jess Giorgio.

(from left) Jess Giorgio and Sarah Stewart.

“The problems for us happened when she got the ball, so we just tried to stop her from getting it. She didn’t have much success because she wasn’t getting that many put-backs,” said Giorgio after the game.

And it is no coincidence that the effort opponents need to put out against Belmont has affected them in one important area. Against Belmont, the three opponents have gone 29-74 from the free throw line, a dismal 39 percent. Last night, AC hit 8 of 22 from the charity strip, about 36 percent.

Belmont came out shooting in the first, but only hitting a fraction of what they put up, finally scoring on a Jenny Call baseline bucket and a foul shot to give Belmont the lead, 3-2, after three minutes of play.

Call hit a floater to bring Belmont within one, 8-7, before Winklaar swished a three to give Belmont a 10-8 lead entering the second quarter.

While Belmont kept the Cougars to seven points, the Marauders’ only found the basket once, via a Stewart jumper as the teams went into the half 15-12 AC.

The Cougars took its biggest lead when freshman guard Erin Donlan hit a straight away three giving her team an 18-12 lead. But an Irini Nikolaidis put-back of an offensive rebound, a Meghan Tan layup, a Giorgio free throw and a Tan three at 2:47 in the third tied the score at 20.

In the final two-and-a-half minutes, Belmont made its move: after Perez had missed a pair of free throws, Stewart hit a jumper, Giorgio took a perfect pass from Tan to hit her only basket of the night and Winklaar hit both free throws after being fouled with 50 seconds remaining. With a three point lead and 20 seconds remaining, Belmont didn’t get the shot they wanted, but Winklaar made it count.

Neither team was all that productive in the first four minutes, with Belmont stretching its lead to 34-24. And while AC cut the lead to four, 36-32, with two minutes to play, a Stewart spin jumper for two, and a slew of Marauder free throws shut the door on Arlington Catholics comeback.

When the final buzzer went off, the Belmont players exploded off the bench as they thoroughly enjoyed the celebration.

“With had so many fans come here, we had to give them what they came for, and that was a win,” said Christofori.

Photo by Kenneth Leinbach

Photo by Kenneth Leinbach

Photo by Kenneth Leinbach

Photo by Kenneth Leinbach

Photo by Kenneth Leinbach

Time Change: Belmont/Arlington Catholic Sectional Semis at 5:30 PM Tuesday

March 8, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Belmont High Girls’ Basketball team.

Tipoff for today’s Division 2 North sectional semifinals Tuesday, March 8, between Belmont High and Arlington Catholic, has been moved up to 5:30 p.m. from 7 p.m.

The matchup between the 10th-ranked Marauders (13-9) and the 3rd-seed (19-3) Cougars will take place at Billerica High School.

Belmont is the third Middlesex League team Arlington Catholic has met in the tourney, having beaten Wakefield (in overtime) last week and Melrose on Sunday. Belmont has upset its first two higher-seeded opponents, Marblehead and Newburyport, to reach the Division 2 North sectional semifinals for the third time in four years.

AC is led by seniors Demi Fogarty and Marie Gaffney – Fogarty had 22 points and wrapped up 15 rebounds in the Cougars’ latest win and Gaffney had 24 points against Wakefield – while freshman Erin Donlan is capable of hitting open threes.

Belmont uses a smothering defense to generate its offense which is led by sophomore guard and Middlesex all-star Carly Christofori.

Sports: Belmont Girls Hoops Defense Upends #2 Newburyport, Semis vs A/C

March 6, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker 1 Comment

Photo: Senior co-captain Irini Nikolaidis shooting the winning free throw as Belmont upsets Newburyport on Sunday.

Clutch free throws from senior co-captain Irini Nikolaidis and a critical steal by sophomore guard Carly Christofori in the final minute propelled Belmont High School Girls’ Basketball to the upset victory over host and second seed Newburyport High Clippers, 49-47, in the Saturday after quarterfinals of the MIAA Division 2 North sectionals, March 5.

The victory sends the 10th seed Marauders to the Division 2 North semifinals for the third time in four years, to take on 3rd-seed Arlington Catholic which defeated Melrose 55-43 Sunday. The game will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday night, March 8, at Billerica High School.

Nikolaidis coolly knocked down a pair of free throws – the final of five consecutive successful free throws – after being fouled driving to the basket with one minute remaining in the game to give Belmont a one-point lead, 48-47. Then it was left up to Belmont’s defense to stop Newburyport and its star Emily Pettigrew, who scored her 1,000 career point while collecting a game-high 22 points.

“I missed my first two (free throws) of the game so I just had to block out their fans … and focus on making them,” said Nikolaidis.

Closing off the passing lane to Pettigrew, a drive by freshman guard Anna Hickman was blocked by freshman center Jess Giorgio (2 points) with 43 seconds but remained the Clippers’ ball. Then Christofori, who quarterbacked the offensive for all but a few minutes of the game, stepped in front of an outlet pass and sent sophomore Jenny Call into the forecourt.

“I was just thinking, ‘We needed the ball, we need the ball now’,” said Christofori.

After a timeout, Belmont hung onto the ball until the collision at midcourt in which senior co-captain Samri Winklaar ended up at the bottom of a Clippers pile, resulting in a 30-second violation.

With less than 12 seconds remaining, the Clippers again went to Hickman whose shot with 8.3 seconds was missed with Giorgio’s wingspan altering the attempt. In the resulting scrum for possession, Call dived onto the floor to tie up a Newburyport player for a jump ball with the all-important arrow pointing towards Belmont’s bench with 3.9 seconds remaining.

On the critical inbounds pass, Christofori found Giorgio, who quickly pass the ball to guard Meghan Tan in the forecourt where she was fouled with 0.2 seconds. Tan made the second of two foul shots, a full court shot fell much too short and the celebration began.

For senior captain Sarah Stewart, who fouled out after defending the taller and bigger Pettigrew, the playoffs have been an emotional ride, literally.

“I was crying on the way here because you’ll never have such a great community come out and all the fans that came here just made us win. That spirit just coming to Newburyport (a 50 mile journey from Belmont) that’s how we won tonight.”

Belmont’s Head Coach Melissa Hart said her team “is stepping up when they are being challenged.”

“They’re good, it’s a good group that shows its resilency with each playoff game,” she said.

The biggest assist for Belmont Saturday came from the Clippers themselves which collectively went a woeful 17 for 40 from the free-throw line, missing 23 times from the charity stripe, including going 5 for 19 in the second quarter.

Belmont was somewhat better from the line, making 17 for 32.

“I’m more surprised that they went to the free throw line 40 times,” said Hart, who said she got a headache after watching too many Belmont frees not fall through.

Unlike its previous playoff game against Marblehead, which they fell behind 12-0 in the opening period, Belmont started the game on the front foot as Call hit a pair of threes while Nikolaidis started the game with a breakaway layup to give Belmont a quick 8-1 lead. The host Clippers quickly got back in the game, mostly from driving against Belmont’s zone defense to go on a 6-1 run to end the first, down 9-7.

Belmont once again started fast, with baskets from sophomore guard Alexa Sabatino and Nikolaidis to see Belmont jump to a 13-8 edge and then 16-12 with a Christofori three-pointer midway through the second. The Marauders would lead going into the half, 21-18, after the Clippers missed six consecutive free throws in the final minute of the half.

The last 16 minutes turned into a rough-and-tumble affair – several times many girls would find themselves looking up from the court’s floor – with Pettigrew using her considerable stature (6 foot to her team’s benefit, keeping the Clippers close as Belmont used a three from Christofori, a floater by Call and a strong move by Winklaar for two increased its lead to 32-28 entering the final quarter.

But that advantage was gone after Hickman scored twice (a three and a two) and two free throws from Pettigrew gave the hosts a 35-32 lead at the 5:40 mark. It would be Belmont senior co-captain Sarah Stewart who led the way back with a bank shot for a basket before standing her ground against a full-speed Pettigrew to draw the charge.

Down by three, 37-34, with 4:40 left, Belmont made its stand; first Nikolaidis put in an offensive rebound while being fouled to complete the three-point play and tie the score then Tan knocked down a three-pointer (her only hoop in a six-point afternoon) to give Belmont the lead at 40-39.

The Clippers would go up by three once more before Call hit her two free throws at 3:22 to get Belmont within one, 43-42, before Winklaar went one for two to tie the score at 43.

Later down by one, Nikolaidis grabbed another offensive rebound and hit her second and third free throws at 2:10 to put Belmont up by one, 46-45. After Pettigrew had hit two free throws with a little more than a minute remaining to give Newburyport its final lead at 47-46, it was time for Nikolaidis, Christofori, and the defense to take the game from the Clippers.

Sports: Belmont Boys’ Hoops Exit Playoffs Early by Youthful Brighton Squad

March 2, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker 1 Comment

Photo: Charge, Brighton.

Belmont High Boys’ Basketball Head Coach Adam Pritchard looked like the world had just settled on his shoulders after his Marauders was knocked out of the MIAA Division 2 North Sectional playoffs Tuesday night, March 1.

Pritchard’s senior-laden team had just fallen victim in the first round match-up to a young, physical squad from Brighton High, 72-67, before a ruckus home fan base, and now the long-time coach was about to enter the locker room where “there are a lot of very sad young men, I know that.”

“It was two very good teams tonight,” said Pritchard. “[Brighton is] an excellent team, I saw them play earlier in the year, and I know what they can do, and I know what we were capable of so I knew the game would come down to the final minute,” he said.

“We, unfortunately, just did not hold onto possession in vital moments down the stretch,” Pritchard said, as he took that long walk into the lockers.

While Belmont came into the game the fifth-seed, Brighton was no 12-seed, a young team that lost some games during the regular season due to lack of concentration not of talent.

In a tight game with just a pair of long scoring runs for each team, it was a critical two-minute stretch midway in the final quarter when, tied at 61, Brighton stripped and stole the possession from Belmont three consecutive times down court, converting two easy layups to take a four-point lead, 65-61, an advantage the Bengals would not concede.

“They are a very aggressive team, they anticipated well and made us turn over the ball,” said Pritchard.

With its Middlesex League All-Star guard combo of Cole Bartels and league MVP Matt Kerans, the Marauders continually found open threes early in the contest as Brighton doubled team the ball on nearly every trip to the basket. Bartels was particularly effective from beyond the arc with three 3’s in the first half for 11 points (yet he would be shut out for the second half by Brighton’s tight marking.)

Belm0nt’s scoring balance – seven players scored in the first half – and its “let them shot” defensive approached began working as junior forward Paul Ramsey found his range with a three and a two to join fellow juniors Bryan Goodwin (a bucket and a pair from the chairty strip) and Daron Hamparian (the same as Goodwin) on the scoring chart.

While Belmont’s defense and hot three-point shooting gave Belmont a four-point lead at the half, 34-30, a 7-0 run – a Kerans layup in traffic, a bucket in close from Joe Shaughnessy and a fall-away three from Kerans who ended the game with a match-high 24 points – early in the third saw the Marauders leap out in front by nine, 41-32, at the 5:30 mark of the third.

But a quick timeout by Brighton’s young and talented head coach Hugh Coleman calmed his charges which then proceeded to outscore the Marauders’ 20-11 in the third, pushed by sophomore phenom Jerrod Clark (12 points) who dropped four twos during the stretch.

Despite a monster quarter from Kerans with 11 point including three 3s – to a chorus of “MVP” – the Bengals comeback culminated with Brighton hitting a pair of threes in the final 28 seconds, the first from junior point Jordan Galloway (his first basket of the night for three of his nine total) and a buzzer beater from star junior shooting guard Tyrone Perry who end with a team-high 15 points.

It was a back and forth fourth quarter with Ramsey’s three with 5:30 left to give the Marauders’ its final advantage at 59-57. But less than a minute later, Brighton’s doubling the ball playing havoc to Belmont’s passing and dribbling attack resulting in the three steals and leading to the 4-0 run.

“We earned a lot of tough baskets tonight, but we gave up a few too many easy ones,” said Pritchard.

While the Marauders cut the lead to two with less than a minute to go (65-53 on an easy Shaughnessy layup) that was as close as Belmont would come as Kerans – who played the entire game – could not will a pair of threes to find the hoops.

For Pritchard, an outstanding season (17-6) and Middlesex League Liberty banner meant little as he stared into space after the game, which saw the end of the career of seniors Damian Bitsikas, Yvrantzi Dedravines, Justin Wagner, Shaughnessy, Luke Peterson, Lowell Haska, Bartels and Kerans, who became the program’s all-time scoring leader with more than 1,300 points.

“We played a great game, but the better team on the court was Brighton,” said Pritchard.