Photo: Belmont HIgh Senior Sophia McClendon reached the 1,000 point milestone

Belmont HIgh Senior Sophia McClendon came to the charity stripe with the game tied against visiting Winchester at 42 with a chance to put Belmont into the lead in the closing half-minute of Friday’s game.

McClendon’s free throw – awarded after being fouled on a breakaway to the basket with 32.5 seconds remaining – would not only put Belmont in a winning position, but it was also a career milestone: the 1,000th point in her four-year varsity tenure.

Three bounces of the ball, a look at the hoop, a bend of the knees, a flip of the wrists: Nothing but net.

But after making the shot, nothing happened. No jumping up and down, or embraces, and the other celebrations associated with a momentous event. McClendon and the players were preparing for the second free throw when the Belmont bench called a timeout.

As the team huddled during a timeout, the stats were rechecked, and sure enough, McClendon had reached the thousand point plateau. Cheers and applause erupted inside Wenner Field House, with screams, hugs, smiles, congratulations, and many happy tears greeting the senior captain. For the record, McClendon missed the second freebie but Belmont would grab the rebound and run out the clock for the one-point victory over the 10-3 Red and Black.

“That was really emotional, having played for all these years in the Fieldhouse to do it at home,” said McClendon, holding flowers and a poster featuring a photo of her with ‘1,000’ points. 

McClendon recognized her teammates and coaches over the past four years “because they really made it all happen.” 

A stalwart on both ends of the court, McClendon has led the Marauders into the MIAA Div. 1 playoff during her three years – securing two home tournament games – while earning Middlesex League All-Star status in the past two years. 

The game tape of Friday’s encounter isn’t likely to be studied as the apex of high school hoops, as both teams took some time to heat up, evident by the 9-2 score – Belmont in front – at the end of the first. Belmont retained the lead into the half, 20-14, but a seven-point third by Belmont saw Winchester cut the Marauders’ advantage to two, 27-25, entering the final eight minutes. A three-point shot by senior Erin Attridge – the first of two in the fourth quarter by Attridge – saw Belmont’s lead grow to six, 36-30, with five minutes remaining. But a run of four threes by the Red and Black would tie the game at 38-38 with two to go. The second three by Attridge and a pair by guard Sarah Geller would see the contest knotted at 42 when McClendon, who finished with a game high 13 points, came to the line to make history.

Belmont (7-4) is on a midseason hot streak, having not lost in 2026, winning five in a row, which includes a win over Stoneham on Tuesday, Jan. 20. Belmont stands 23rd in the MIAA Div. 1 Power Rankings, with the top 32 receiving automatic tournament bids.

Boys’ Hoops

Coming out of the locker room at the end of halftime, Belmont High Boys Basketball was starring up from a deep hole, trailing Middlesex Liberty leaders and undefeated Winchester by 15 points, 37-22. 

But with a packed Wenner Fieldhouse encouraging the home team on Belmont Basketball Night, the Marauders stepped up both sides of their game, limiting the high-scoring Red and Black to a pair of free throws and throwing down 17 points of their own in the third to enter the fourth quarter tied up at 39. It was a team effort on both ends for the floor with senior co-captain Charles Tingos leading a balanced scoring effort with five points while a tight, suffocating defense allowed Belmont to cut into the lead for the entire eight minutes. 

Entering the final quarter with a single point, senior co-captain Andre Chavushian would spark the Marauders’ effort with 10. In one sequence, Chavushian hit a three to cut a Winchester lead to one, 46-45, made a steal, and with 2:40 remaining, hit a pretty jumper to give Belmont a 49-48 lead. When junior Peter McLaughlin completed the 2+1 nine seconds later, the Marauders had its largest lead, 52-48. 

A Chavushian free throw kept the lead at four, 54-50, and when junior center Braiden Dargon took down the missed second freebie and passed it back to Chavushian who was fouled with 53.9 seconds left, Belmont was looking good at taking down a Top-20 program. But the only thing that came from the two free throws was a miss and an offensive foul that allowed Winchester to pull within three on the front end of the 1 and 1. The second free throw was missed, but the rebound ended up in the hands of Winchester’s senior Harrison Burbine who sank a three-ball with 44.6 seconds remaining to knot up the game at 54, sending the game into OT.

In the four-minute overtime, Winchester’s senior wing Dawson English would not be stopped, scoring six of his game-high 26 points, leaving Belmont feeling a bit deflated as Chavushian could not hit a potential game-tying drive at the death. Three Marauders reached double digits, led by Dargon with 15, followed by Tingos (12) and Chavushian (11).

Belmont currently stands at 6-5 with an MIAA Power Ranking of 38.