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.

Sports: Boys’ Hoops Host Tough Brighton in Playoff Opener Tuesday

February 26, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Brighton winning the 2015 City Championship.

Belmont High School Boys’ Basketball will host a tough young Brighton High Bengals squad in the first round of the MIAA Division 2 North sectionals on Tuesday, March 1 at 7 p.m. at the Wenner.

Brighton (13-8) has been a Boston powerhouse program since head coach Hugh Coleman took charge seven years ago, winning the 2013 Massachusetts Divison 2 State Championship and was crowned the 2015 Boston City League Champions.

Brighton, the 12th seed, has been inconsistent this year, losing in the semifinals of the city championship last week against a weaker opponant, but stills features outstanding players such as Tyrone Perry, Mykel Derring, Izaiah Winston-Brooks and Jordan Galloway. Two of the squad’s losses were to a pair of high-power New Jersey teams.

Belmont (17-5), ranked 5th in the tourney, comes in as Middlesex League Liberty champions and will ride a senior-laden team led by Middlesex MVP Matt Kerans, three-point specialist Cole Bartels and big men Joe Shaughnessy and Justin Wagner.

Eat Out Wednesday and Help Belmontian Club Get Warm PJs to Kids in Need

February 23, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: PJ Day at the High School.

Go out to eat this Wednesday and help Belmont High School’s Belmontian Club provide warm PJs for kids in need.

On Wednesday, Feb. 24, head to Bertucci’s at the Alewife MBTA station for snacking or dinner and the restaurant will donate 15 percent of their sales that day, from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. to Cradles to Crayons, through the Belmont High School Belmontian Community Service Club.

It extends to all dine-in, takeout, or delivery orders. You will need this coupon—either a printed copy or on a smartphone.

Screen Shot 2016-02-23 at 5.39.36 PM

Sponsored by the Belmontian Club, this Bertucci’s promotion is part of the ongoing campaign to raise money and warm pj’s for Cradles to Crayons, a non-profit organization in Brighton, which provides gently-used clothes and gear for needy Massachusetts children from infancy through middle school.

The Burbank, Butler, and Wellington elementary schools joined Belmont High School in sponsoring “PJ Days at School,” the club collected funds on a recent Saturday at the Belmont Star Market, and the Belmont Car Wash on Trapelo Road will support Cradles to Crayons on Saturday, March 26. Club members will dry cars from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will receive a donation of $1 per car and all of the tips.

So far, the Belmontian Club has raised over $2,600 and 108 pairs of new pajamas from these activities, with Bertucci’s and the car wash still to go.

Sports: Kerans Breaks Belmont’s Boys’ Hoops All-Time Scoring Record

February 19, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker 1 Comment

Photo: Matt Kerans driving against Lexington.

This spring, a new banner will be placed in the Wenner Field House with Belmont High senior Matt Kerans’ name on it accompanied by a still-to-be-determined number.

While the amount remains in flux, the recognition was earned through persistence and excellence as the four-year varsity guard broke Steve Pollard’s 30-year-old all-time career scoring record of 1,294 in Belmont’s 58-48 victory over Lexington High School on Seniors Night/Afternoon, Thursday, Feb 18.

Belmont High Boys’ Hoops 2015-16 seniors with parents: (from left) Justin Wagner, Joe Shaughnessy, Yvrantzi Desravines, Luke Peterson, Kevork Hamparian, Cole Bartels, Damian Bitsikas, Lowell Haska, Matt Kerans.

Needing seven points to top Pollard’s record, Kerans wasted little time hitting a three on the team’s initial trip down the court and a bucket soon after before taking a pass on the right side and hitting his trademark fallaway three-point shot midway through the first quarter.

Despite the history-making moment – and after the buzzer signaling the event was ignored by the refs – play continued for a minute longer before a timeout occurred allowing Kerans to receive congratulations from his teammates.

The win over the Minutemen left Belmont with a 17-5 record, a league championship and predicted five seed in the upcoming MIAA Division 2 North sectionals, earning the Marauders, at least, one home playoff game.

Despite a well-earned reputation for being a player who lets his outstanding play do most of his speaking, Kerans did say breaking the record “means a lot.”

“Ever since I was in middle school, I’ve been looking up at the banners, seeing the points and people have seen saying I could be up there,” said Kerans, who thanked his teammates over the past four seasons for their play which allowed him the opportunities to be an offensive force.

“And I couldn’t have done it without coach [Adam] Pritchard’s support,” he said.

Sports: Belmont Girls’ Hoops Reach Playoffs with Win Over Rockets

February 15, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Belmont’s Sara Lyons (left) against Reading.

Behind a complete team performance, Belmont High Girls’ Basketball is returning to the postseason after its 65-42 victory over hosts Reading on Friday, Feb. 12.

“It was a full-out team effort, for sure,” said Belmont Head Coach Melissa Hart

“We haven’t scored that many points in a while because it was well-rounded scoring. A lot of players contributed and that’s because we were moving the ball around,” Hart said.

Belmont’s 10th win (10-6) secures a spot in the MIAA Division 2 North sectionals.

But Hart is not looking towards the playoffs just yet.

“We have a long way to go before then, with four games left in the season, and that’s a lot of games,” she said.

Sophomore guard Jenny Call (5 of her team-high 18 points in the first quarter) and senior co-captain Samari Winklaar (half of her 8 total points in the first) helped Belmont take a 15-12 after the first.

Belmont’s improving defense took command in the second quarter, holding Reading to five points as the Marauders tripled the Rocket’s output with 16 in the quarter led by sophomore point guard Carly Christofori (a basket and 3 for 4 from the line in the second) and the overall play from senior forward Sara Lyons.

A role player for the season, Lyons has seen her minutes increase due to the absence of senior co-captain Sarah Stewart and she has taken advantage of her increased role on both ends of the court. On Friday, Lyons hit for a season-high 9 points including a three from distance to go along with her posting up against Reading’s centers.

“It’s fun just getting out there and prove myself, that’s a big part of it,” said Lyons, who is happy to admit that “when I’m, I will take the shot.”

The Marauders took their 31-17 halftime lead and kept it in double digits despite the effort of Reading’s freshman sensation Haley Lightbody who had 17 points going 11-14 from the free throw line. The quarter ended with senior co-captain Irini Nikolaidis (8 points) hitting a drive with 15.9 seconds remaining to give Belmont an unsurmountable 45-31 lead.

“I was pleased what I saw tonight because a lot was not bouncing our way early in the game. We kept our cool and composure,” said Hart, noting the play of senior Sophia Cellucci who downed a pair of threes in the final stanza.

Lyons believes the team, which went through a hard patch recently (1-5 before their last two game which they won), can have a successful run in the playoffs.

“I think we can do really well when we play as a team. Clearly we can come together and play really well especially in games like tonight when everyone contributes. That helps a lot,” said Lyons.