Banner Time! Belmont Boys’ Hoops Is Middlesex League Liberty Championship

February 14, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: The 2015-16 Middlesex League Liberty Division champions: Belmont High School

The lockers took a beating from Belmont High School’s Boys Basketball players as they added a celebratory beat to the joyful roar emanating from the visitors locker room at Reading Memorial High School as the Marauders raucously celebrated winning the Middlesex League Liberty Division championship after defeating Reading, 60-54, on Friday night, Feb. 12.

“We met with the juniors last year and talked about goals and a league title was always one of them,” Belmont’s long-time head coach Adam Pritchard told the Belmontonian after the game.

“I just thought it was something that they should expect and have to earn. I thought we had to the ability to do it,” he said.

Belmont now stands at 15-4 with four games remaining including a final league match with visiting Lexington at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 18. The team will also take part in the Sharon Tournament where they will meet three teams – Braintree, Cathedral and Sharon – that have made the MIAA playoffs.

If winning the championship was a great accomplishment, the game in which they won it was not, as the game tapes are worthy of being burned. Midway through the first quarter, Belmont led 2-1 before going on an 8-0 run on threes from senior guard Cole Bartels and junior Paul Ramsey (9 points). At the end of the quarter, the two playoff-bound teams scored an anemic total of 21 points (12-9 Belmont).

The second quarter was slightly more productive as strong defense and less than stellar shooting sent Belmont into halftime with a five-point edge, 26-21, as co-sixth men guards Daron Hamparian (2 points) and Tomas Donoyan (3 points) came off the bench to up the defensive intensity

“We went in at half time and I told them we have not shot a free throw, they have a two to one offensive rebounding advantage and we’re up by five, held them to 21 points in the first half and we haven’t played well on our end,” said Pritchard.

“If we can hold them defensively, our offense will win the game,” he said.

Bartels started the third quarter with a three pointer (one of three in the game for a team high 16 points) and a bucket and one in the first two minutes to give Belmont a nine point lead (36-27). Reading would keep it close behind its go-to senior guard Jared Thorpe-Johnson (three tough baskets in the third quarter, part of his game high 21 points) to cut the lead to six, 37-31. But Belmont would counter with a Steph Curry-like teardrop three from Matt Kerans (part of his 15 point night) to put the team up by nine (46-37) at the start of the fourth quarter.

The Marauders was able to pull away early in the final quarter as senior forward Luke Peterson (4 points) – who is coming back from injury – was nearly credited with a dunk which was waved off for a foul (he hit the two foul shots) while Bartels drained a three to see Belmont up its lead by 13 with 4:47 left in the game. While Reading did make a late run to come with five points at 57-52, Bartels (16 points) drained a three to end any upset ideas from the hosts.

While not wanting to rate this squad to other league championship or good squads he’s coached in the past, Pritchard said “[t]hey are similar to a couple successful teams in that they are a nice, tight team. They go to dinners together, they are very supportive of each other and we have very good students and high character kids. They’re fun to be around.”

Pritchard is now looking forward to the post season with some practical advice to his team.

“A couple of players from the [Super Bowl winning Denver] Broncos that said their coach told them all you have to be is better than everyone else for the next month. I told the boys you have to be better then everybody every day.”

So, can this team win what will be a tough Division 2 North Sectionals? How about a state title?

“Absolutely they can do it. They are a talented group, they have good leadership, they are smart basketball players. It is always a tough road ahead, but why not us?”

Sports: Girls’ Hoops Off The Snide with Winchester Win, One Game from Playoffs

February 10, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker 2 Comments

Photo: Defense is the name of the game for Belmont.

For Belmont High Girls’ Basketball Head Coach Melissa Hart and her team, the postseason has already begun.

“I feel like every game is our first tournament game,” said Hart after the Marauders halted a four-game losing streak with a solid 54-30 victory over winless Winchester (0-16) Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 9.

The win brings Belmont (9-6) within one game of clinching a spot in the Division 2 North playoffs. Belmont needs to capture one win in their final five matches to secure a place in the dance.

“It really is game to game for us,” said Hart. Belmont plays a much improved Reading Memorial High team away before heading to a North Shore tournament and finishing up with Lexington at home on Feb. 25.

The game was close early as both teams had not taken the court for a while due to Friday’s snowstorm.

The long layoff – a week since its last game, a loss to undefeated Woburn – “affected our shooting a little tonight, so we were a little cold,” said Hart, noting it took nearly three minutes before the first basket – a three-pointer from Belmont’s sophomore point guard Carly Christofori (14 points), with the Sachems taking a 9-8 lead entering the second quarter.

As with the past five games, Belmont was able to stay close with an aggressive defense, holding Winchester to four points in the second to take a 19-13 lead into the half, scoring the last 6 points of the quarter behind sixth man sophomore Alexa Sabatino who had a clever assist to frosh Megan Tan (5 points with a three) and scored her only basket off a steal.

“Our defense, in the end, is what made the difference. We keep telling them that,” said Hart.

Winchester did creep back into the game behind junior captain Julie Fitzgerald who scored 7 of her co-game-high 14 points in the third (all from free throws) as the Sachems pulled within 5 (25-20) with 3:40 left in the quarter before Tan and sophomore forward Jenny Call (5 points) hit outside threes to give Belmont a 31-25 lead entering the final eight minutes.

Unlike the past few games, Belmont’s offense came to life as the defense wore down the Sachems. A layup by senior co-captain Irini Nikolaidis (8 points), a bucket and one and a steal and layup by Christofori gave Belmont a 12 point lead with six minutes remaining, and that was the game.

Co-captain Samri Winklaar hit for 8 points, Greta Propp (6 points) went 2-4 from the line along with two hoops while role players Sofia Cellucci (with a great three pointer) and Riley Haight (2 points) got in the book.

Belmont held Winchester to five points in the fourth as the squad swarmed the ball time and time again.

“Offenses are great but defenses are better,” said Hart.

Just as the Denver Broncos.

Sports: Belmont Girls’ Hoops Stumbles vs Arlington, Difficult Week Ahead

February 1, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Sophomore guard Alexa Sabatino heading to the basket against Arlingon home.

There is no better example of a team with a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde persona than Belmont High’s Girls’ Basketball team.

When on their side of the midcourt line, the Marauders’ are a ball-hawking defense that makes it difficult for (most) teams to set a good shot off, holding strong teams such as Woburn, Chelmsford, and Watertown below their season point average.

But cross the line into the opponent’s end and the team’s aggressiveness evaporates and a tentative, almost timid offense emerges with the growing tendency of coming way without even attempting a shot at the hoop. With the rare exception, open shots are deferred, and the ball is passed to a player in the paint where a slew of opponents are waiting.

Beginning with a lackluster loss to an average Wakefield team when Belmont was 7-2, Belmont has fallen to a ranked Watertown squad by 12 points despite being tied with the Raiders with 2 minutes and 30 seconds left in the game, and on Friday night, Jan. 29 dropping a home game in overtime, 56-52, to Arlington, a team Belmont easily dispatched, 48-31, early in the season.

Friday night’s loss wasted a career night from sophomore Alexa Sabatino (12 points) who scored came off the bench to spark the offense late in the game with two baskets (one off a beautiful putback of an offensive rebound) and 3 for 3 (8-8 in the game) from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter to give Belmont a chance in the final minute of regular time.

Arlington was able to stick around through the work of senior center Mallory DeFeo (12 of her 17 points in a dominating first half as well as a three in the fourth) and junior guard Rosalie Flinn who scored 16 of her game-high 18 points in the second half and overtime.

On the other hand, Belmont would commit three 30-second violations – turning the ball over for not taking a shot – in the game while on four consecutive occasions in the third quarter, the team came away not having a shot at the basket, losing possession via turnovers or offensive fouls.

Belmont nearly pulled off the victory when Sabatino hit two from the charity stripe with 1:39 remaining in the fourth quarter to bring Belmont within one point, 46-47.

An outstanding defensive stance forced a traveling call against the SpyPonders with 50 seconds left on the clock gave the ball. The ball found freshman center Jess Giorgio (3 points) – playing significant minutes with senior forward Sarah Stewart forced to the bench – in the paint, and the 6-foot 9th grader posted up and drained a bucket with half a minute remaining, giving Belmont a one-point lead, 48-47.

Giorgio nearly won the game single-handedly with a perfectly timed block on the other end of the court. Unfortunately, the subsequent action saw Belmont foul Arlington’s Margaret Ammondson, who sank one of two to tie the game. A layup attempt by Belmont’s all-star guard Carly Christofori (11 points) was blocked as time ran out.

Knotted up at 52 with less than a minute in OT, Arlington’s Grace Caulo (12 points) drained a pair of free throws to give the SpyPonders a two-point lead. Lexington intercepted a Belmont inbounds pass with 17 seconds remaining, leaving the Marauders to wonder what-if.

Friday’s defeat leaves Belmont at 8-5 with games this week against undefeated and 6th-ranked Woburn away (a rematch which Belmont lost in the final second at home, 51-50) and home Friday against 12-4 Lexington.

The match will see the last visit to the Wenner by Minuteman senior Anna Kelly who two years ago dropped 52 points against the Marauders (the third highest point total by a high school girl in Massachusetts scholastic history) and score 27 points including four threes and double digits in assists in a 62-43 pummeling of Belmont earlier in the season.

Sports: Belmont Boy’s Hoops Tops League Table Defeating Ranked Arlington,

January 30, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Justin Wagner scoring vs. Arlington.

A dominating third quarter by its three big men under the basket powered Belmont High School to the top of the Middlesex League Liberty Division after the Marauders defeated Arlington High School, 75-65, before a ruckus home crowd at the Wenner on Friday, Jan. 30.

Co-captain senior forward Justin Wagner scored 9 of his 14 points in the third as he and fellow forward Joe Shaughnessy (10 points with 6 in the final quarter) dictated play on both ends of the court, allowing Belmont to spring one-too-many fast breaks for the SpyPonders – ranked 9th in the latest Boston Globe basketball poll – to allow and stay with the Marauders as Belmont outscored the SpyPonders, 20-13, to extend its halftime margin from eight to 15 at the start of the final eight minutes.

The victory, revenge for the loss in December at Arlington (12-3) where Belmont (13-2) gave up a late lead for its first loss of the season, puts Belmont a game up in the race for the league championship.

“We kind of flipped the last game around in defense, rebounding and pounding them on the glass,” said Adam Pritchard, Belmont’s long-time head coach.

Lead by league all-star point guard Matt Kerans who finished with 20 points (including two threes, double-digit in assists and 8-8 from the line), Belmont stayed with the quick SpyPonders which used its quickness and opportunistic defense through the first quarter (15-14 Arlington lead) before a bucket by sophomore Tomas Dononyan (2 points) followed in quick succession by a pair of threes from junior guard Daron Hamparian (8 points) gave the Marauders a 24-17 lead with 5:30 to go in the half.

Belmont’s dominance under the basket was evident when on several occasions when the Marauders had multiple looks at the basket by grabbing the offensive bound, in one sequence, taking four than six shots at the hoop before making the bucket.

“There’s not doubt that our forwards are a big part of our game because it opens the court for Kerans and our guards,” said Pritchard.

The Marauders went into the break with a 38-30 lead followed a surging junior forward Paul Ramsey who scored 7 of his 16 points in the second, two nights from a 23 point performance against Watertown in a 69-60 victory.

Arlington could not muster a sustained challenge against the Marauders as Belmont matched every SpyPonder point run with one of its own. Arlington junior captain Colin McNamara scored nine of his team-high 20 in the fourth.

There remain parts of the team’s game that could use improving moving forward, said Pritchard.

“We have a big line-up but we have to handle full-court pressure and certainly must work on our rebounding and to be honest, we have to get healthy,” he said.

Sports: Young, Learning, Determined; Belmont Wrestling Laying a Solid Foundation

January 29, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

.Photo: Belmont High Head Wrestling Coach Ivan Lozano (right) and assistant Matt Curaj

“Shoot!” yelled Belmont High Head Wrestling Coach Ivan Lozano to the Belmont wrestler struggling to get an advantage over his Watertown competitor in the small gym at the Wenner Field House at Belmont High last week.

Lozano was directing his young freshman wrestler to dive toward the opponent’s legs, grab them and then dictate the action.

But whether it was inexperience, fatigue or just a lack of confidence, Lozano’s wrestler couldn’t commit to the bread-and-butter move. Soon after, the Watertown wrestler got on top of the Marauder and … “bang!” the referee slammed his hand to the mat indicating a pin against the Belmont grappler.

After the match, Lozano, and his assistant Matt Curran spent a moment with their defeated charge to review what he did well and leave him with some encouraging words on improving after another tough loss in a season that can best be called a learning experience.

While there is no getting over that his wrestlers still have some way to go “you always have to be positive because when he hears negative things on the mat, he’s going to be thinking negative,” said Lozano.

There has been an enormous number of times the opponents arm was raised in victory this season. So be it, said Lozano, because his and Curran’s vision for the team is one with a single long-range goal: rebuild the sport that had fallen on hard times since he was a wrestler at Belmont High only five years ago.

Lozano wrestled with good competitors on a Belmont High team that included a state champion, Sami Baghdady.

And today, Belmont wrestling is his squad to guide.

“I love this team,” said Lozano who graduated from Belmont in 2011 and from UMass Boston in 2015. “It really is a blessing that so many freshmen who came out and committed themselves to the sport,” he said.

While nearly the entire team had no exposure to high school/collegiate-style wrestling that relies on strength and guile to pin an opponent, “they are coming here with the right mindset, ready to work,” said Curren graduated in 2014 from New Hampshire and 2010 from Arlington High.

“It’s better to have a new group of freshmen because they are coming to learn the basics. We’ve got them for four years,” said Curren. “As long as they are working hard, having fun and learning the sport, that’s all that matters now.”

There have been some encouraging results from recent meets. At the annual Brendan Grant tournament held at the Wenner in January, Belmont secured a pair of podium places as freshmen Bryson Lipson and Omer Rona finished fifth and sixth respectfully in their weight classes.

Lipson, who came away with a bit of a bent nose at the end of the night, won two matches before falling to the eventual champion at 152 pounds.

“I had one great match that went into overtime, sudden death. It was a good feeling to win that way although it did tire me out,” said Lipson.

Rona used a quite unique strategy in his victory, allowing his first-round opponent from Wakefield in the 195-pound category to “let him throw me around” until the final 30 seconds before turning the tables on him.

“He was guaranteed to win because he was up by ten points. But he was so tired trying to pin me that I got around him. He tried to get up but because he had no energy left I went for an arm bar (a favorite of UFC star Rhonda Rousey) and got the pin,” said Rona.

[When told of Omer’s “technique,” Belmont Selectman Chair Sami Baghdady – who was an outstanding high school wrestler and whose namesake was a state champion as a freshman for Belmont – advised Rona to “find a less unorthodox approach if he wants to survive long in the sport.”]

It is Lipson, Rona and the dozen or so wrestlers who just want to participate and improve gives the Belmont Wrestling brain trust confidence in what they are doing.

“It’s a very young team which means they have to come her every day to practice which they have been doing. It’s about fine tuning their technique for the next two to three years and then you will see our freshmen now be on top,” said Lozano, who relies on his small senior class to keep the “kids” motivated” through the growing pains of an inexperienced but determined team.

While the season is close to ending, Lozano and Curren will ask half a dozen wrestlers to commit to off-season training with them and area coaches.

“That will keep the sport going, as we improve, so will the number of kids who will come out for our sport,” Lozano noted.

Both coaches fully believe that wrestling’s future in Belmont “is more than promising. We actually see us achieving some realistic goals,” said Lozano.

“It’s only up from here,” said Curren.

As for the wrestlers, the question is with so many good sports teams to try out for, why choose to wrestle.

“Because it’s one of the, if not the most intense physical sports there is. I’ll keep working hard and practicing and try to get better,” Lipson said.

“It’s a sport I don’t have to worry about a team or a ball, I just have to worry about the other guy and myself. It’s all very simplistic,” said Rona, a 9th grader who enjoys physics.

So, how do you use physics in wrestling?

“You don’t,” said Rona.

BREAKING: State Approves School District’s Plan to Renovate Belmont High School

January 27, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: The MSBA voting to invite Belmont to begin the process to renovate Belmont High School.

A decade of applications and waiting ended at 10:44 a.m. Wednesday morning, Jan. 27 in a crowded board room at 40 Broad St. in Boston as the Massachusetts State Building Authority voted to invite the Belmont School District to begin the process that Belmont officials anticipate will result in the complete renovation of Belmont High School and the construct of a new science wing at the Concord Avenue campus.

Massachusetts Treasurer Deb Goldberg, who heads the MSBA, made the announcement before nearly 100 school administrators and staff, politicians and local elected officials, including Belmont Superintendent John Phelan, Belmont High Principal Dan Richards and Belmont School Committee Chair Laurie Slap.

“This is great news for the town of Belmont,” said Slap after the vote.

See a video of the Belmont delegation responding to the vote: (from left: Superintendent John Phelan, School Committee Chair Laurie Slap and Belmont High Principal Dan Richards.

Belmont High was the only high school to be selected, joining seven elementary schools from Harvard, Lexington. Ludlow, Manchester Essex, Marlborough, Tisbury and Triton Regional districts to make the final cut.

A total of 26 building projects were vying for approval this year, including Arlington High School and the Maria Hastings Elementary School in Lexington.

With the MSBA vote, the clock begins running as the district enters a 270-day “eligibility period” in which the district is required to complete preliminary steps including forming a school building committee, hiring a building manager and conducting a feasibility study which establishes a process for the district to be reimbursed for eligible expenses. This is the first of eight “modules” the district and town will need to complete to receive the state grant.

(The process of creating a building committee is already underway as the special town meeting on Feb. 8 will include a vote to create a high school building committee.)

“During those 270 days, we’ll work all that information through and then meet with the community,” said Phelan.

For the Belmont delegation, the next few weeks will be educating themselves on what the state expects from the district.

“That’s what we going to find out in the next meeting, it’s the details,” said Richards.

The project price tag, based on an updated 2008 estimation, was calculated at $79.6 million. With eight years of inflation added to the 2008 figure, the total cost is now closer to $100 million.

With a third of the eligible costs reimbursed by the MSBA, Belmont taxpayers will be responsible for $66 to $70 million of the total cost.

“This [project] has been on everyone’s minds for years and years,” said Slap. “Everyone understands the need for a renovated school so our job is to make sure that we plan this as carefully and thoughtfully as we can. We are always very respectful of taxpayer’s dollars but this is a critical project that has to be done.”

“We are going to have lots of time to educate the community and lots of community involvement. Stay tuned, there is lots to come,” said Slap.

Under the 2008 revision of the 2004 Belmont High School master plan:

Construction at the school will take place in four phases over four years so students will remain on the existing campus,
All construction will be within the 257,000 sq.-ft. footprint of the current building, and
A 34,000 sq.-ft. Science wing will be built in the parking lot adjacent the Wenner Field House and the Higginbottom Pool.

The renovation of the five-decade-old school building is critical as it is currently “structurally unsound” and “jeopardize the health and safety of the school children,” according to Belmont’s 2014 SOI submitted to the MSBA.

The new science center will add 13.5 percent more classroom and lab space to the school, with the hope of “eliminat[ing] the existing severe overcrowding” at the school. The district is predicting an additional 254 students at the high school by fiscal 2024.

Sports: Belmont Girls Hoops’ Holds Garden Party at Chelmsford’s Expense

January 25, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Belmont High wins at the Good Sports Invitational.

On the biggest stage this season, Belmont High’s Girls’ Hoops put together its best and most complete game as a suffocating defense and clutch shooting powered the Marauders by a strong Chelmsford High Lions squad, 50-36, on the parquet court of the TD Garden, Sunday, Jan. 24, at the Good Sports Invitational.

In a game which Belmont Head Coach Melissa Hart used her entire bench (10 Marauders would grace the score sheet) allowing each player an opportunity to play on an NBA court, Belmont stayed with its Division 1 opponents in the first half before clamping down on the Lions shooters in the second half, limiting the Merrimack Valley Small Conference leaders to a total of 14 points in the final 16 minutes.

“We had some really good moments on the floor,” said Hart, whose team now stands at 8-3.

“The girls really communicated well in a big new place and nerves didn’t seem to be a factor,” she said.

Leading the Marauders was its senior co-captain center/forward Sarah Stewart who controlled the action in the paint (in front of the basket) with her rebounding against taller opponents, blocking and harassing shots and hitting a series of timely baskets including an offensive put-back as time expired in the third quarter to up Belmont’s the lead to 10.

“My coach said it starts with defense and that’s what I focused on, on boxing out and just being a bigger person on the court both mentally and physically,” said Stewart who finished the morning with 8 points.

“When you do defense first, the offense will come with it,” she said.

Stewart’s dominance gave her teammates room to find space to score near the basket. After going “Oh-for” (no points) two nights before against Wakefield in a disappointing loss (42-38), sophomore Jenny Call responded by scoring a game-high 19 points, 12 in the second half on drives to the hoop and from range with a pair of threes.

Quarterbacking the offense was sophomore point guard Carly Christofori, who scored 12 points while picking herself off the floor after driving to the basket.

Belmont got out to a fast start, going up 12-4 in the first four minutes. But the Lions used three-point marksmanship and pinpoint passing, took the lead in the second quarter behind Chelmsford’s 1,000 points senior captain Claire Markey (10 points) and center Annie Donahue, who had 9 of her 11 points in the first half.

The Lions took a six-point lead, 22-16, midway through the quarter which saw Hart used her role players. And while the Belmont starters sat, their teammates chipped into the lead while wearing down the Chelmsford five. A mid-range basket by freshman Jane Mahon (2 points), a hoop from Call and a three-pointer from Christofori at the buzzer finished off a 7-0 run and secured a 23-22 halftime lead for the Marauders.

“I think our depth actually helped by playing everyone. We were able to run so much, and while the game was close, we had fresh bodies out there, and that helped in the second half,” said Hart.

The second half saw Belmont slowly pull away from the tiring Lions as the Marauders took control of all aspects of the game. A spinning hook by sophomore Greta Propp (2 points) gave Belmont a 6 point lead with just under two minutes to play in the third and Stewart’s buzzer beater upped the advantage to nine, 39-30, with eight minutes to play.

While the Lions got within six points (41-35) midway through the quarter, Call would respond with a three-pointer and going 4-4 from the charity stripe to close the deal.

For Belmont, it was a rare occasion not just to play on the same court as the Boston Celtics, but to celebrate a victory in the Garden.

“At first, the adrenaline was really crazy. Just being here was unreal, so it was nice to see familiar faces in the crowd instead of random people,” said Stewart.

Sports: Two Late Goals Gives Boys’ Hockey Thrilling Tie against Reading

January 20, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Belmont’s assistant captain senior Evan Biette celebrates the first goal vs. Reading.

The Belmont High Boys’ Ice Hockey may have kept their fans on the edge of their seats until late in their home match with Reading Memorial High on Saturday, Jan. 16.

And with less than six minutes to go, two team captains sent the Belmont supporters leaping out of those same seats as the Marauders (4-4-2) roared back from two goals down to tie Rockets, 3-3, in an afternoon mantinee thriller at the Skip.

“For our guys, we’ve been waiting for a turning point where they realize they can win against the top teams in the league. And I have been waiting for them to respond like this and I’m hoping that we have tuned that corner,” said Belmont’s first year Head Coach Fred Allard.

Senior forward Dave Bailey’s shot from the right of the goal beat Reading’s junior goalie Devon Bruzzese on the power play with 3 minutes 51 seconds left in the game to secure the valuable one point to the one loss but five tie Rockets (3-1-5). The play started with a smart reaction on the blue line from junior defender Adam Cronin who found fellow defender, big Kevin Quick, who set Bailey up with the tough angle shot.

Bailey’s goal came 98 seconds after senior co-captain Cole Michael got the Marauders within a goal with a shot by Bruzzese’s glove from a great assist by sophomore linemate Steve Rizzuto.

Belmont was able to stay in the game in large part due to the smooth and steady goaltending of junior Cal Christofori who was helped by a few cross bars saves. While the Rockets were able to pepper Christofori in the first two periods, many of the shots were from distance due to the hard work from senior defenders co-captain Trey Butler and assistant captain Evan Biette to deny Reading’s forwards from collecting passes inside the slot.

It was Biette who put Belmont on top, 1-0, against the run of play with 2:48 left in the first period who, like Bailey, scored from a tight left side shot.

Reading’s top players which brought the Rockets back in the second period as junior Matt Thomson and junior speedster Kevin Tobin scored; Thomson pushing the puck past a prone Christofori who appeared to have made the save and Tobin showing some skating magic on the power play.

After Belmont went down by a pair early in the second, the Marauders appeared to be on the assent, just missing out on a second goal mid-way through the final 15 minutes from a quick whistle as the puck was bouncing around the goal mouth before rolling in.

Saying it “is a great group who now have to believe in themselves,” Allard said the team has one goal for the season; 20 points.

“We’re ten points from qualifying for the [MIAA post-season] tournament,” said Allard. “We have 20 points on the [drawing] board [in the locker room] and we are knocking the points off towards that goal which will be a return to the tournament in five years. It’s that simple. Keep knocking the points off until where at zero.”

Sports: Belmont Girls Hoops Wear Down Rockets, 53-41

January 18, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Carly Christofori (left) and Sarah Stewart on defense for Belmont.

Friday night’s tussle with the one-win Reading High Rockets was just the type of game Belmont High will benefit from, said Marauders’ Head Coach Melissa Hart.

Sometimes your team just has to grind out a victory over an opponent that wouldn’t go away.

“That was a tough game that we had to play hard to stay in front,” said Hart of her team’s 53-41 victory over the Rockets, and upping the Marauders record to 5-2 in the Middlesex League Liberty Division.

What looked like a potential blowout after the first four minutes in which Belmont raced to a 9-0 lead on sophomore Jenny Calls’ three-point and some slashing inside drives by point guard Carly Christofori.

But Reading would scrape back behind the three from Julia Sullivan (6 points) to tie the game at nine before sophomore Greta Propp and junior forward Reagan Haight dropped in shots to up the Marauder lead to four (13-9) after one-quarter.

Belmont’s advantage would grow to seven (22-15) when Propp (8 points) scored two free throws with 1:11 left in the half although the Rockets would climb back to keep it close at the half, 22-18.

The third quarter was more a display of hope over skill as at point both teams had more fouls than points. Stepping up in the quarter were Call and Christofori as Call hit two from distance (part of her game-high 14 point night) and Christifori (13 points) went 4-6 from the line to go along with two baskets to keep Belmont out in front, 36-30, going into the final eight minutes.

Belmont put the game away with a 15-point fourth quarter as senior co-captain Irini Nikolaidis (11 points) scored nine going 5-7 from the charity stripe.

Next up for Belmont is a 3 p.m. exam week contest Tuesday vs. a strong Burlington team.

Sports: Starters Push Belmont Past Reading to Take League Lead

January 18, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Belmont Joe Shaughnessy dunks the ball against Reading.

Three starters scored 61 of Belmont High’s 76 points as the Marauders’ climbed to the top of the Middlesex League’s Liberty Division with a hard fought 76-71 victory over the visiting Reading Memorial High Rockets in a battle for first place Friday night, Jan. 15 at the Wenner.

Seniors Matt Kerans (21 points) and Joe Shaughnessy (20 points) joined junior Paul Ramsey (20 points) to power the Marauders offense as its five starters played the majority of the game.

“Sometimes that happens. I didn’t feel that anyone was in jeopardy of fouling out, our defense was pretty good and everyone was making good decisions and most of all, they were playing together,” said Belmont’s long time head coach Adam Pritchard whose team currently stands 8-3 overall and 6-1 in league play.

“It’s a great goal,” said Pritchard on leading the league nearing mid-season. “This is this group’s chance to set their mark and it’s something that we will be working for.”

Belmont came fast out of the gate, jumping to a 14-5 lead as the Marauders took advantage of its height advantage to get inside and score from in close. Ramsey was able to make three baskets inside along with a free throw in the first.

“Everyone on this team knows what Paul has done for us. He’s just an incredible rebounder and takes the tough defensive assignments,” said Pritchard.

But before you could say “Jared Thorpe-Johnson,” the Rocket’s senior forward hit a bucket and a three-pointer with 9.5 seconds left in the period to finish off a 11-2 run and tie the score at 16 (with Thorpe-Johnson accounting for 12) after one-quarter.

The second quarter saw the shoe on the other foot as Reading out hustled Belmont to a 23-19 lead. But in this game of momentum changes, the Marauders stepped up their defense and fast break to pull off a 9-0 run to lead 28-23 midway through the quarter.

Back came the Rockets and the lead see-sawed between the squads before being knotted up at 34 at the half.

The second half saw Belmont exploit the height advantage of having senior forwards Justin Wagner (7 points) and Shaughnessy down low.

“I think tonight [Shaughnessy] showed what he can do with his back to the basket. He is one of the best post-up players in the league,” said Pritchard.

As Reading backed in to stop the pass inside, that left Kerans free to hit a three-pointer at the five-minute mark to give Belmont a 40-39 lead. On the next possession, Kerans found a wide open Shaughnessy to the right of the basket who proceeded to dunk the ball, bringing the Belmont fans to their feet.

Reading – who had four players in double figures for points – would not go away as they were able to convert several second chance opportunities, including three consecutive three-point baskets (a pair from guard Carl Gillies (10 points)) early in the fourth quarter, to cut the lead to 64-62 with 4:40 left in the game.

But it was Belmont’s other big man who defused the Rockets as Wagner took a Shaughnessy (10 points on three baskets and 4-4 from the line in the 4th quarter) pass as he was cutting to the basket to make the two-point basket and head for the line for after being hacked underneath to give Belmont a five-point advantage.

After a Thorpe-Johnson (a game-high 27 points) layup cut the lead to three (70-67), Wagner tipped in an offensive rebound as the 30-second clock expired to up the Marauders’ lead back to five points. Belmont would hit three of their four final free throws for the win.

The Belmontonian

Belmont's Independent Media Outlet Covering the 'Town of Homes'