Yardemian Powers Belmont Boys Hoops Into Sectional Quarterfinals After Dispatching Charlestown

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Danny Yardemian drives to the basket.

As Danny Yardemian was greeting fans and family after Belmont High Boys’ Basketball’s playoff opener against Charlestown High School, a fellow student looked at his classmate and said one word: “MVP.”

Anyone who witnessed his performance Tuesday night, Feb. 27, could hardly disagree with that sentiment. Playing near the top of his game, Yardemian showcased his talents by pouring in 35 points, handing out numerous assists and quarterbacking Belmont to a comprehensive drubbing of Charlestown, 72-47, in first round action in the Division 2 North sectional playoffs held at the Wenner Field House.

“I was just focused on the game,” said Yardemian, after the game. “I was just trying to be more aggressive as it’s the playoffs while trying to be more of a leader so my teammates can make more plays.”

“You’re fortunate to have a kid who works really hard, who’s skilled and can create shots out of the offense,” Belmont Head Coach Pritchard said of his junior point/shooting guard.

Belmont, at 16-7, will host Middlesex-rival Melrose High on Friday, March 2 at the Wenner, after the 12 seed Raiders (12-9) upset  Masconomet Regional, 58-53, in overtime, on Monday. The Marauders defeated the Raiders, 78-63, back on Jan. 23. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.

“They’re a scrappy team. They are like us in the sense that they’ll hustle for loose balls, they’ll play tough defense,” said Yardemian.

Charlestown came to the Wenner with a tall – three starters over 6’5″ with senior center Franklin Udeh north of six-and-a-half – and physical team that came out of the hard-as-nails Boston City League at 10-9. But where the Townies had the advantage of the tale of the tape, the Marauders proved the complete team on the night.

“We played a lot of teams this year, and I don’t know if we’ve played a tougher team … rebounding,” said Pritchard.

Yardemian quickly placed his imprint on the match, scoring seven of Belmont’s first 11 points; on a drive and jumper, a pretty backdoor play with sophomore guard Mac Annus and a three-pointer from college-distance. Benefiting from Belmont’s “push” offense was senior forward Tomas Donoyan who sliced through for six in the first quarter while junior forward Ben Sseruwagi (8 points) knocked down a pair of buckets. Belmont ended the first quarter with a floater by Yardemian and a critical block by senior center Jake Pollack (2 points) to hold a three-point lead, 19-16, after one.

In front 30-25 midway through the second, Yardemian took the game into his hands, starting with a mid-range step-back jumper as he threw in 11 in the quarter while leading the offense. Assisted by the Townies lack of success from the outside – they would only hit three threes – and some poor ball handling decisions, Belmont was able to break several times for relatively easy hoops. With Yardemian cutting thorough the Townies for an uncontested layup at the buzzer, the Marauders took a 40-31 point lead into the half, half of the points coming from the Middlesex League all-star.

At the start of the third, Yardemian began playing helper, finding Donoyan (who scored 8 of his 16 in half) and Pollack (with a behind the head pass) as the lead expanded towards 20.

“He’s done a much better job of seeking out his teammates, and you have to do that to be a floor leader, you can’t just to look to score every time,” said Pritchard.

A corner three from Annus (9 points, all from beyond the arc) and a power move to the hoop by Yardemian inflated the advantage to 18 (56-38) at the end of three quarters. Charlestown had no answer to the surge and the fourth quarter was Yardemian who hit Belmont’s only two free throws in the game on to his way to 10 points in the final eight minutes.

While deferring speaking about Yardemian – “I’ve heard enough of him!” he said with a laugh – Pritchard heaped praise on co-captain Pollack who was thrown into the lion’s den by being matched up with the Townies big men.

“One of the guys who’s key to us is Jake,” said Pritchard, noting that most games Pollack is outweighed and shorter than who he’s playing. “And he doesn’t leave anything left in the tank when he’s done. That, right there, makes him our MVP.”

As for Friday’s game vs. Melrose, Pritchard was philosophic.

“Hey, we’re still playing. I’m happy with that,” he said.

Final Minute Tally Secures Playoff Win For Belmont ‘Blond’ Boys’ Hockey

By Leave a Comment

Photo: The victorious Belmont High squad, blond and happy (From the Belmont High Hockey twitter site (https://twitter.com/BHSPUCK_STATES)

The Blond Boys did it.

After falling behind four times only to come back to tie the score, Belmont High Boys’ Hockey – who dyed their hair a yellowish color en masse before the game – scored in the final minute to give the Marauders a thrilling 5-4 victory over Middlesex League-rival Melrose High in the first round of the Division 1 North Sectionals on Wednesday, Feb. 28 at Chelmsford.

Sophomore forward Justin Rocha scored his fourth goal of the season – the assist going to senior line mate Alec Morin – with 1:03 remaining to secure the win. Rocha also scored on the power play to tie the game at 4 with the assist from senior Tim Bailey. Senior forward Will Dominiconi started the three goal third period with an early tally to knot the game up at 3.

Dominiconi also started the scoring in the first with a goal from senior captain Connor Dacey. Senior assistant captain and team’s leading scorer Steve Rizzuto – who was awarded postgame the coveted Belmont firefighter’s helmet for his overall play – notched his 19th goal of the season on the penalty kill with a little more than five minutes remaining in the second.

Wednesday’s victory was the first MIAA tournament win for the Marauders since Belmont defeated Arlington, 6-5, in four OT’s in 2006.

And Belmont will meet number 1 seed SpyPonders for the third time this year in the D1North quarterfinals taking place on Saturday, March 3 at Woburn’s O”Brien Rink. The time has yet to be set.

Plastic Bag Ban Set For May Town Meeting Vote

By Leave a Comment

Photo: “Plastic or paper?” could become “Paper?”

The ubiquitous single-use plastic bag could soon be a memory in the Town of Homes as the Belmont Board of Selectmen approved on Monday, Feb. 26 sponsoring an article before the annual Town Meeting in May banning town retailers from providing the quintessential receptacle to their customers.

If passed by Town Meeting, the bylaw will take effect six months after the vote or on Nov. 1, 2018, whichever is later and would initially apply to stores with more than 30,000 square feet of retail space. Carthy said it would likely first impact the Star Market on Trapelo Road. The remainder of stores will have until nine months after Town Meeting approval or Feb. 1, 2019, to make the change.

The selectmen’s unanimous vote supports the initiative from the 15 resident group that formed in November seeking to end Belmont merchants use of the thin bags to check the harm it does to the environment – plastic bags harm animals and sea life that eat or are entangled by them – while also clogging storm drains and burdening solid waste disposal and recycling facilities. 

“The thin-film plastic bags are incredibly cheap so there is little incentive for merchants to make a change,” said the group’s spokesperson Mark Carthy of Stone Road and a Precinct 6 Town meeting member.

Carthy said the group submitted a Citizen’s Petition that was certified by the Town Clerk on Monday as a backup plan if the Selectmen had not accepted their proposal. 

“We are very pleased with [the selectmen’s] vote as it will make it an easier process under their guidance,” said Carthy.

Under the new bylaw, retailers will have two choices for customers; recyclables paper and reusable check-out bags made of natural fibers (cotton or linen), with stitched panels and can carry 25 pounds for more than 300 feet. The Belmont ban would include all plastic bags including the heavier, sturdy plastic examples which towns have allowed – an example is bags used by Russo’s in Watertown. Exceptions will include plastic bags without handles such as those covering or containing dry cleaning, newspapers, produce and meats, and bulk or wet foods.

For retailers who violate the ban, a written warning will come with the first offense. A second violation will be accompanied by a $50 fine and any further offense a $200 fine will be imposed and the fines will be cumulative and each day a violation occurs will constitute a separate offense.

Belmont is following the lead of more than 60 municipalities around the state which have installed bans in the past five years. Neighboring Cambridge has banned most plastic bags and charge a fee for paper bags since 2015 while Arlington’s ban on single-use plastic bags goes into effect on March 1 for retailers over 10,000 square feet and on July 1 for all other retailers. 

Belmont will not be able to impose a fee for bags as Cambridge does since state law prohibits towns from imposing a surtax on bags but does allow cities, said Carthy.

While popular in Massachusetts, bag bans have been less than accepted elsewhere. State legislatures in South Carolina, Utah, Arizona and Florida have voted to prohibit municipalities from banning carry-out bags. 

While the selectmen and Board of Health, which the bag ban group visited Monday evening, support the proposal, each noted a concern the bylaw’s enforcement powers which are ceded to the Belmont Health Department, will place an additional burden on its small staff. Health Board member Dr. David Alper told the group executing the laws compliance rules “will not be high on our things to enforce.”

Alper advised the group to reach out to the Department of Public Works and Mary Beth Calnan, the town’s part-time Recycling Coordinator, which would “give you a better bang for the buck” as “they can educate the stores and be punitive” when needed.

A Quarter Century Of Enrichment: FBE Celebrates Silver Anniversary March 17

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Poster of the big event.

For a quarter-century, the Foundation for Belmont Education has been raising funds for programs to enrich the Belmont public schools. In those 25 years, more than 5,100 families and businesses have made 24,000 gifts to the Foundation totaling $3.5 million financing 700 projects that include artist residencies, hands-on learning, purchase of computer tablets and much more.

The Foundation invites all residents to join it on Saturday, March 17 from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Belmont Hill School to celebrate 25 YEARS OF MAKING A DIFFERENCE, a special night filled with music, an exciting auction, and community-building, all in the name of education excellence in the Belmont Public Schools.

Early ticket pricing for the Silver Anniversary Fundraiser ends WEDNESDAY NIGHT, Feb. 28, so purchase your tickets today!

Purchase Tickets or Make a Donation

Top Ten Reasons to Celebrate with the Foundation on March 17.

  1. Recognize an organization that has given more than $3.5 million to the Belmont Public Schools
  2. Bid on one-of-a-kind experiences in Boston and beyond
  3. Shed your casual clothes and dress up
  4. Participate in the Silent Auction
  5. Have a date night or a night out with friends
  6. Celebrate Foundation grants and enrichment programs
  7. Bid on tickets to one of Broadway’s hottest shows when it comes to Boston this fall
  8. Find out who wins the $1,000 cash raffle prize
  9. Toast the Foundation for 25 great years of enriching the Belmont Public Schools
  10. Have a great time!

Questions about the FBE Annual Fundraiser? fundraiser@fbe-belmont.org

Celebrate Belmont Public Library’s Sesquicentennial With ‘Books in Bloom’

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Poster of the “Books in Bloom” event.

The Belmont Public Library marks its 150th anniversary this weekend with “Books in Bloom,” a celebration of the floral interpretation of books.

Friday Night, March 2, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.: First Look Opening Reception

Floral exhibit, music, light refreshments, door prizes and a cash bar.

Tickets are $20/$25 at door.

Tickets available at Belmont Public Library, Beech Street Center, Belmont Books and online. Snow date: March 3.

Saturday, March 3:

  • Flower Arranging Demonstration, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Our Town, Our Library: History Intertwined, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Drop-in multi-media exhibit in the Belmont Historical Society’s Caflin Room.

Sunday, March 4: Family Birthday Party

Celebrate the library’s Sesquicentennial Birthday! Visit and decorate cookies, check out the Friends of the Belmont Public Library used book sale, design your own library, create some fun craft projects, and more!

“Books in Bloom” is brought by the Belmont Library Foundation, the Belmont Public Library, the Belmont Historical Society and the Friends of the Belmont Public Library. All events will be at the library, 336 Concord Ave. 

Books-In-Bloom-8-x-11

Breaking: Joey’s Park Closed For Month Due To Returning Rodents

By Leave a Comment

Photo: A snapshot of a social media site concerning trash at Joey’s Park.

They’re back!

After a failed attempt to eradicate vermin from their home at Joey’s Park, the Belmont Board of Health and the Highway Division of the Department of Public Works have today, Monday, Feb. 26, closed the popular Winn Brook neighborhood playground for a second time as it attempts to send the rats packing.

The town has hired Assurance Pest Solutions to treat the reemergence of large rat burrows with a deterrent solution dubbed Rat-Out Gel, made of garlic oil and white pepper. The plan is for the irritant to force the rodents into traps at baiting stations in the park. 

While it’s being treated and monitored for the next three to four weeks, the playground will be closed to the public.

This is the second attempt by the town to root out the rats at the park located adjacent to the Winn Brook School. 

The town is urging the public to assist it in keeping the play area clean of food scraps and trash which attract the rodents. In recent weeks, a social media site geared toward parents in Belmont focused on the general level of uncleanliness at the park, including photos of food containers, general garbage, and a soiled diaper.

For more information, contact the Belmont DPW at 617-993-2680 or the Belmont Health Department at 617-993-2720.

Garbage Giant Named Belmont’s New Trash/Recycling Hauler

By 3 Comments

Photo: A WM side loading collection truck.

A giant in the waste removal industry was officially named Belmont’s trash and recycling hauler on Monday, Feb. 26 after winning a five-year contract with the town.

Waste Management of Houston was selected by Department of Public Works Director Jay Marcotte and approved unanimously by the Board of Selectmen at the board’s Monday morning meeting. Waste Management’s winning bid of $12.2 million over five years was $2.3 million less than the only other accepted bid from Casella Waste Systems of Rutland, Vermont.

Waste Management services approximately 21 million residential, industrial, municipal and commercial customers in US, Canada, and Puerto Rico with the largest trucking fleet in the waste removal industry with 26,000 collection and transfer vehicles.

The contract includes fully automated trash and recycling collection using 65-gallon (for trash) and 96-gallon (recycling) wheeled barrels, yard waste removal, the collection of Christmas trees and other bulky items as well as a fee for recycling processing. The contract begins on July 1. 

While Waste Management takes over trash and recycling in four months, it will continue collecting curbside waste and recycling manually until the firm has purchased the new trucks that will service Belmont.

“The start date will be when they meet their comfort level,” said Marcotte, which could happen in the early fall. Before then, the DPW and town will reach out to homeowners and residents to educate the town on the new automated system. 

The breakdown of the payments over the five years are:

  • Fiscal ’19: $2,224,296
  • Fiscal ’20: $2,355,554
  • Fiscal ’21: $2,442,192
  • Fiscal ’22: $2,531,867
  • Fiscal ’23: $2,624,685

The first year of the new contract is approximately $350,000 more than the fiscal ’18 fee paid to Somerville-based Russell Disposal. 

Marcotte told the board if there are any changes in the current market for recyclables beneficial to the town, “[Waste Management] promised to renegotiate the contract.” 

Shooting Four A Title: Belmont Boys Hoops Host Charlestown Tuesday, Girls At Home Saturday

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Belmont 

After successful regular seasons in the books, Belmont High basketball teams will now look forward to the postseason as the MIAA released the sectional playoff tournament brackets on Friday.

Both Belmont hoop teams received the fourth seed in their sectionals which awards the boys two and the girls a single home game. 

The Belmont Boys’ (15-5) will start the postseason against number 13 seed Charlestown High (10-9) in the first round of the Division 2 North sectional at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at the Wenner Field House. The Townies bring a tall front line featuring three starters 6’4″ or taller, including 6’6″ center Franklin Udeh.

If they win Tuesday, Belmont is set to play the winner of Masconomet Regional (15-5) and Melrose (11-9) likely on Friday in the quarterfinals.

In the Division 1 North tourney, the Belmont Girls (17-3) will host the winner of the Revere (16-4), Andover (10-10) matchup in a rare Saturday night game, March 3 at 7 p.m. If Revere comes to town, the Marauders will face Boston Globe and Herald All-Scholastic player Valentina Pepic. The 6’2″ senior center, who has committed to play at Division 1 Niagara next year, led her league in points and rebounds for the second year, scoring her 1,000 career point earlier in the year. 

If Belmont wins, they will meet the winner of the Woburn vs Everett/Beverly contest in the sectional semifinals and the possibility of an epic grudge match against the one-seed Tanners, who with the Marauders share the Middlesex Liberty title. 

Belmont Board Of Health To Hold Marijuana Talk, Q&A March 14

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Marijuana will be discussed on March 14.
The Belmont Board of Health and Health Department invites the public to attend a talk by as one of the world’s experts in marijuana on the risks and benefits of this controversial plant titled “The Unbiased Truth; a One Hour Presentation and Q&A” on Wednesday, March 14, at 7 p.m. at Beth El Temple Center auditorium, 2 Concord Ave.
 
With the likelihood a store selling marijuana in or close to Belmont will be up and running by the summer of 2018, a great deal of what’s been discussed concerning marijuana is either incomplete or untrue. To learn the truth about the subject, the Board of Health invited Dr. Kevin Hill, director of Addiction Psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and assistant professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, to Belmont.
Hill treats patients with substance use disorders in a variety of settings. His research interests include the development of medications to treat cannabis use disorder as well as cannabis policy, and he has published widely on these topics in such journals as JAMA and Lancet Psychiatry. He provides a balanced factual approach to cannabis and his book “Marijuana: The Unbiased Truth about the World’s Most Popular Weed” is a valuable resource for many. He consults on cannabis-related issues to policymakers and prominent sports organizations nationwide.
 
The meeting is free and open to the public through a grant from Mount Auburn Hospital. For more information, call 617-993-2720.

Hoops: Boys’ Behind MVP Yardemian Takes Comcast Title; Girls’ Fade In Championship Match

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Belmont’s Danny Yardemian leads the Marauders to the Comcast Tourament title.

Belmont High Boys’ and Girls’ Basketball did themselves proud at last weekend’s Comcast Tournament taking on some of the best hoop teams in the state at Woburn High School. 

The boys’ defeated Brighton, 72-69, and handled 17th-ranked St. Mary’s of Lynn, 72-61, to win its division as junior Danny Yardemian was named Division MVP. The Belmont Girls’ defeated 2015 state champions Bishop Feehan, 60-57, in overtime and was leading the number 1-ranked Westford Academy by nine points at the half before fading down the stretch and losing in the finals, 54-47. 

Belmont Boys’ came into the tournament on a roll, defeating highly-talented rivals Winchester, Woburn and Arlington to end the regular season on a six-game winning run. In the tourney opener, Belmont faced Brighton, the team which unceremonially knocked off a strong Marauders team in the first round of the 2016 Division 2 North sectionals. It was close early with Belmont up 12-10 after the first quarter with junior guard Ben Sseruwagi leading the way with 6 points. The Marauders upped the lead to five at the half (35-30) as senior forward Will Ellet (16 points) knock down three threes in the quarter. Belmont would keep a margin of between 6 to 10 points through most of the second half when Yardemian scored 13 of his 17 points. A late comeback by Brighton cut the lead to two with 12 seconds to go when sophomore Mac Annus hit one of two and the Panthers missed a pair of treys.

Against St. Mary’s, Belmont followed the same script as before, close in the first while stretching the lead in the second. With Yardemian lead the offense both pointwise and dishing the ball, the Marauders went on a tear, scoring 29 points in the second, hitting four threes to go with a good number of drives to the basket as Annus and Yardemian had six while Ellet threw in a pair of threes scoring nine in the quarter. Up 43-27 at the half, Belmont would stay in the lead by double digits into the fourth when St. Mary’s Stephen Fama (23 points) got the Spartans within nine, 68-59, with a little more than two minutes to play. But Yaremian would seal the victory at the line, hitting 8 for 10 from the charity stripe to end the game with 31 points and the MVP trophy. Sseruwagi joined Yaremian on the all-tournament team and senior Tomas Donoyan was the recipient of the team/scholarship.

The Belmont Boys sits at 15-8 overall and 15-5 in regards to its placement in the tournament.

The Belmont Girls’ used a tenacious defense and clutch play by senior Carly Christofori to take down the top-10 Shamrocks from Bishop Feehan in extra time. Both teams held their own in the first quarter with the Marauders up 12-10 which could have been a larger lead if not for a few missed shots in close. Senior Jenny Call’s two threes and fellow co-captain Greta Propp work inside kept the game tight in the second and when Jane Mahon made a mid-range bucket with seconds left in the quarter, Belmont took a slim one-point lead, 28-27, into the break.

Bishop Feehan took its largest lead of the game at 5, 42-37, late in the third on threes from seniors Nicole Smith and Anna Shaughnessy only to see a trey from Christofori with five seconds left tied the game at 42 entering the final eight minutes. Down by four midway through the fourth quarter, a pair of threes from Call and Christofori (a game-high 21 points) swung the lead back to Belmont, 50-48. A steal and layup by Smith with 80 seconds left knotted the score at 52. The Shamrocks had the better chances to win the game in regulation – including a missed one and one – but Belmont hung on to send the game into extra time.

Tan’s three and yet another Mahon mid-range jumper gave Belmont a 57-54. A Tan free throw with 24 seconds left upped the lead by one, 58-54, only for junior Sarah John make a line-drive three to cut the lead to one with 8.3 seconds remaining. On the inb0unds, the Shamrocks fouled Giorgio who had gone 0-6 from the charity stripe. But the junior center nailed the two shots to give the game to the Marauders.

Sunday’s championship game was a tale of two halves as Belmont’s suffocating defense and opportunistic offense took the Gray Ghosts by surprise as Tan came out smoking, scoring 6 points and grabbing three offensive rebounds to lead the Marauders to a 15-2 lead after the first quarter. After Belmont built its biggest lead at 15, 17-2, Westford would finally score its first basket at 5:30 in the second quarter. The rest of the quarter saw each team rely on defense as Westford paid close attention on Christofori at times triple teaming the four-year starter. After Giorgio made two free throws with less than a minute in the half, Belmont stretched its lead to 23-11. But a last-second three-pointer from senior Brooke Pillsbury cut the advantage to 23-14 and was a harbinger of things to come.

Belmont’s third quarter was a polar opposite to its stellar play in the first half, with tentative and questionable shooting and being outrebounded better than two-to-one, the Marauders saw their lead melt away quickly. Westford’s senior guard Emily Bramanti’s trio of threes in the quarter (11 points in the third) led the way for the Gray Ghosts as they outscored the Marauders 18-4 to take a 32-27 point lead into the fourth. Belmont did marshal a comeback behind Giorgio’s eight points in the final quarter (the center led the Marauders with 15 points), cutting the lead to two, 42-40, with 2:19 left. But a three by junior guard Carolyn Graham (her only points of the game) put Belmont down by 7 with a minute to play. 

Christofori and Tan were selected to the all-tourney team and Propp was the recipient of the scholarship.

Belmont finishes the season at 17-3 and awaits the seeding for the MIAA Division 1 North sectionals on Friday, Feb. 23.