BELMONT – Matt Pluskis and the Belmont boys’ basketball team are used to being overlooked. In fact, the Raiders almost enjoy the feeling now.
“This one was circled on the schedule because many analysts and the NH Sports Page doubted us,” Pluskis said. “We like when teams doubt us and don’t respect us and we just keep proving them wrong and that’s what we like.”
Whatever it is that fuels the Raiders on the court, they’ve proven to be a team that’s impossible to ignore in Division III. Belmont defeated Lakes Region rival Gilford for the second time this season on Friday – a 66-54 victory that upped its record to 14-2 on the year and 7-0 at home – as the Raiders continue to climb towards a top four seed.
“We definitely still want to get better,” Belmont Coach Jim Cilley said. “We know that if we win out, we’re a top-four seed and the only way we lose is if we lose on this court and we haven’t done that all year. We’re poised and we want to be at Southern New Hampshire. … We certainly think that we have enough that we can handle it and go beat anybody.”
In an arduous matchup – at least on paper – with towering Gilford center Ethan Carrier, Belmont big man Trevor Hunt had little trouble producing, pouring in 23 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals while receiving plenty of help from teammates Pluskis (16 points), Doug Price (seven points, eight rebounds) and Derek Stevens (10 points).
Hunt was relatively quiet in a first half that Belmont cruised through with a 31-22 advantage, but dominated both as a scorer and playmaker in the final 16 minutes.
Hunt netted eight of his 23 points the third frame as the 6-foot-3 forward stepped outside for a pair of 3-pointers and connected on a pull-up jumper to give the Raiders a comfortable 18-point cushion heading into the fourth.
“(Trevor) creates everything,” Pluskis said. “When the ball gets in the paint, teams are starting to double down on him now, so it’s getting guys like me and Doug Price open. It’s just opening things up and we’re scoring off of it.”
Hunt finished 3 of 4 from behind the 3-point line – a theme that has continued late into the season as opponents try and control him in the post.
“(Hunt) is a very good shooter and to start the year he was only getting a couple of touches out there,” Cilley said. “As teams try to double and take him away inside, we’ve got other guys we can post up so we’ve been able to run him outside as well and he’s made them pay.”
Gilford (10-6), fresh off a solid all-around win over Winnisquam on Thursday, did not come out with that same level of energy on the road against the Raiders, falling behind by as many as eight points in the first quarter and trailing by double digits for the entire second half.
“I don’t want to say we were a little bit flat tonight. We did play last night but it just didn’t seem like we had the energy that we wanted to have,” Gilford Coach Chip Veazey said. “We didn’t take very good shots and I thought we could of searched out some better shots.”
Seniors Carrier (17 points), Mason McGonagle (10 points) and Brandon Lemay (11 points) all scored in double figures for the Golden Eagles, but most of the damage came late in the final quarter when the game was already well in hand.
Gilford outscored the Raiders, 24-18, in the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit down to as little as 13 before running out of time.
“We’ve made a lot of improvements since the beginning of the year and I think we’ve come a long way,” Veazey said. “This is really the first time we’ve played from behind because everything’s been close.”
Both teams are a lock to make the tournament coming down the home stretch of the season with double-digit wins, but the Raiders are trying to make sure those early round playoff games are played in their own building.
Belmont host Somersworth (12-3) and Newfound (1-15) in their final two games.
“In the beginning, when we were freshman and sophomores, teams used to come in here and just not respect us,” Pluskis said. “Now we’re just trying to defend it and prove that we’re a relevant team and we can make some noise in the tournament.”
Bishop Brady 56, ConVal 40
Key players: Bishop Brady – Matt Quirk (19 points), Matt Desmarais (15 points, 8 rebounds), Eero Myllymaki (8 points)
Highlights/key moments: The Giants defended home court and are back in the win column after losing three straight.
Records: Bishop Brady 7-5; ConVal 2-12
Coe-Brown 68, Kingswood 48
Key players: Coe-Brown – Sam Lupinacci (23 points, 6 assists, 7 rebounds), Scott Spenard (16 points, 4 steals), Brody Ashley (10 points, 5 assists), Shawn Spenard (6 points, 3 assists), Jacob Snow (4 points, 4 rebounds, 6 blocks), Mitchell Wade (4 points), Mike Mulligan (defense)
Highlights/key moments: Coming off its first loss in nearly two months, Coe-Brown trailed after the first quarter, 15-13. But the Bears picked up the defensive intensity and ball movement from there and outscored Kingswood, 43-23, in the second and third quarters.
Records: Coe-Brown 13-2; Kingswood 5-9
John Stark 55, Hanover 45
Key players: John Stark – Cooper Gorski (14 points), Isaiah Lovering (12 points), Drew McQuarrie (10 points), Parker McQuarrie (7 points, 15 rebounds), Joe Simeone (6 points), Shawn Lavigne (4 points)
Highlights/key moments: Simeone and Lavigne came off the bench to score 10 points in teh second half as the Generals earned their second big road of the win of week, following up on Tuesday’s decision at Coe-Brown.
Coach’s quote: “We had a good week, winning two games in two tough places to play. They’re really improving and it’s exciting to see.” – John Stark’s Mike Smith
Records: John Stark 9-5; Hanover 6-8
MV 54, Plymouth 43
Key players: MV – James Shattuck (18 points), Jake Hebert (11 points), Ryan Defina (7 points), Ben Davis (6 points)
Highlights/key moments: MV led by 11 at the half and held on to earn back-to-back wins for the first time this season.
Coach’s quote: “These kids are hungry for a playoff spot.” – MV’s Tim Mucher
Records: MV 5-10; Plymouth 3-12
White Mountains 59, Franklin 50
Key players: Franklin – Jayden Torres (20 points), T.J. Laramie (12 points), Matt Hennessy (8 points), Corey Nelson (8 points)
Highlights/key moments: Franklin saw its four-game win streak snapped in its third consecutive road game.
Coach’s quote: “Just not going to win a lot of games when you shoot 40 percent from the foul line and miss solid opportunities. We had our chances but didn’t respond.” – Franklin’s Michael Donnell
Records: White Mountain 3-11; Franklin 7-9
Inter-Lakes 60, Winnisquam 51
Key players: Inter-Lakes – Zach Swanson (20 points), Eli Swanson (16 points); Winnisquam – Logan Morrison (18 points), Kyle Mann (11 points), Thomas Marchese (8 points)
Highlights/key moments: Inter-Lakes kept Winnisquam at arm’s length with 15-point lead at halftime. The Bears improved in the second half, but turnovers throughout the game kept them out of striking distance. Inter-Lakes earned its fourth win in its last five games.
Coach’s quote: “We had too many turnovers and Inter-Lakes is a good defensive team.” – Winnisquam’s Kevin Dame
Records: Inter-Lakes 13-3; Winnisquam 8-8
Pittsfield 77, Hinsdale 64
Key players: Pittsfield – Cam Darrah (26 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists), Josh Whittier (16 points) Matt St. George (10 points, 4 assists) Dylan Bocash (10 points, 4 steals)
Highlights/key moments: The Pittsfield gym was packed for senior night and the Panthers rode that energy to a 42-26 halftime lead. Hinsdale went 7-for-9 from 3-point land in the second half, but Pittsfield’s lead never dipped below double digits.
Coach’s quote: “It was nice to see a well-balanced attack having four players contribute in double figures. We need to work harder on the defensive end if we want to make any type of run in the tournament.” – Pittsfield’s Jay Darrah
Records: Pittsfield 15-2; Hinsdale 5-10
Concord 49, Spaulding 21
Key players: Concord – Kasie Maloney (8 points, 6 rebounds), Lyra Canabano (7 points, 3 steals), Emily Otto (6 points, 4 blocks), Bridgid Weeden (7 points, 7 rebounds)
Highlights/key moments: Concord jumped out to a 7-0 lead early and turned it into a 11-4 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Tide continued to build separation and led 30-9 at halftime. They protected the lead in the second half by limiting Spaulding to 12 points.
Coach’s quote: “We have been so close the last couple games it was great to get a solid win especially on senior night. We had nine girls score and nine girls get rebounds – a nice team effort.” – Concord’s Mike Achilles
Records: Concord 3-13; Spaulding 1-16
Laconia 61, Coe-Brown 50
Key players: Laconia – Devon Mello (15 points 3 3-pointers), Delaney Ross (11 points, 3 3-pointers), Cheyenne Zappala (10 points); Coe-Brown – Ahna McCusker (27 points, 7 Rebounds), Kerry Riley (6 points), Chelsea McCallion (5 points, 7 rebounds)
Highlights/key moments: The Sachems were on fire from beyond the arc and used a 25-point second quarter to give themselves the cushion they needed to pull off the upset on the road.
Coach’s quote:
“Tonight’s game was a great team victory. We played great team defense and moved the ball well in the half court and found girls for open shots. Our goal has been to work hard for 32 minutes every single game and I’m really happy for the girls tonight for their efforts.” – Laconia’s Jeff Greeley
“Our defense in the first half once good. We gave our selves chances in the second half, but couldn’t get back, We put this behind us and move forward.” – Coe-Brown’s Joe Vachon
Records: Laconia 4-13; Coe-Brown 9-8
Bishop Brady 67, ConVal 28
Key players: Bishop Brady – Riley Bennett (23 points), Sam Will (14 points, 6 rebounds), Sofia Riccio (10 points), Cait Mallahan (8 points, 5 rebounds)
Highlights/key moments: Bennett’s 23 points leaves her six away from 1,000 points for her high school career.
Coach’s quote: “Very strong overall team effort right from the beginning. The girls came out shooting and confident in themselves tonight and it showed.” – Brady’s Annie Alosa
Records: Bishop Brady 14-2; ConVal 1-14
Hanover 51, John Stark 43
Key players: John Stark – Jillian Douzanis (10 points), Ari Maxwell (9 points), Chelsea Woodsum (7 points)
Highlights/key moments: The Generals played hard and had a chance to win, just like they have the last seven games, but Hanover outscored Stark 14-7 in the fourth to earn the road win.
Records: John Stark 6-10; Hanover 13-3
MV 63, Plymouth 42
Key players: MV – Abby Grandmaison (19 points), Carly Huckins (17 points), Sara Osborne (8 points), Kylie Marquis (6 points)
Highlights/key moments: Grandmaison and Huckins combined for more than half of MV’s scoring as the Pride earned the win in the first of two straight road games.
Coach’s quote: “Need to keep up the hard work and get these two wins before heading into playoffs.” – MV’s David Huckins
Records: MV 10-6; Plymouth 0-15
Conant 56, Kearsarge 48
Key players: Kearsarge – Devi Kraushaar (13 points), Meg Roy (10 points), Maicy Hansen (9 points)
Highlights/key moments: The Cougars were down by six points with two minutes left in their final regular-season game, but a couple missed free throws kept them from cutting into the deficit.
Coach’s quote: “We just couldn’t get over the hump all night.” – Kearsarge’s Keith Roberts
Records: Kearsarge 14-4; Conant 15-3
Gilford 34, Belmont 23
Key players: Belmont – Julianna Estremera (11 points), Taylor Yelle (4 points), Chloe Sottak (defense), Sarah Chase (defense)
Highlights/key moments: It was a tough offensive night for Belmont, which scored just two points in the first quarter and nine in the first half.
Coach’s quote: “We were in the game, it was just one of those nights where we couldn’t throw the ball in the ocean.” – Belmont’s Mark Dawalga
Records: Belmont 9-9; Gilford 11-7
Pembroke sixth, John Stark 13th
Key players: Pembroke Academy – Jackson Frazier (7th slalom, 11th giant slalom), Jack Thomas (15th slalom, 26th GS), Cole Sporcic (33rd slalom, 38th GS), Ryan Burns (51st slalom, 52nd GS); John Stark – Aiden Moser (1st slalom, 1st GS)
Highlights/key moments: With only two skiers on the team, Stark finished last among the 13 teams at King Pine, but no individual was faster than Moser. His combined two-run slalom time (76.13 seconds) was a full tick faster than second-place Thomas Inwood from Plymouth (77.42). Things were closer in the GS, but Moser was the only skier who had a combined time under 52 seconds (51.91), and good enough to beat out second-place Lucas Johnstone from Plymouth (52.17).
Pembroke’s Frazier will be joining Moser at the Meet of Champions on March 2 at Cannon Mountain. The top 10 skiers in each race qualify, and Frazier was seventh in the slalom in 80.21.
Plymouth finished first in the team standings with 737 points to beat out Windham (728.5) and repeat as Division II boys’ Alpine champions. Kennett was third with 717 and Pembroke was sixth with 595.
Concord sixth
Key players: Concord – Ella Fabozzi (23rd slalom, 27th giant slalom), Sophia Shea (37th slalom, 39th GS), Fabi McLeod (30th slalom, 43rd GS), Mayanna Llewwlyn (42nd slalom), Jenna Bourassa (53rd GS)
Highlights/key moments: Pinkerton Academy defended its crown by finishing with 755 points at the Division I girls’ Alpine championships at Mount Sunapee. Bedford (744) and Exeter (725) rounded out the top three. Concord finished with 557 points in the 17-team event.
Hopkinton sixth
Key players: Hopkinton – Addie Locke (10th slalom, 13th giant slalom), Elizabeth Berliner (13th slalom, 20th GS), Maura Zankel (14th slalom, 23rd GS), Bea Burack (23rd slalom, 29th GS)
Highlights/key moments: Hopkinton’s Locke qualified for the Meet of Champions with her 10th-place finish in the slalom and the Hawks finished sixth with their 671.5 points. Lin-Wood won the team title with 715 points, just beating out defending champion Gorham (711) and third-place Profile (709.5). Derryfield was a close fourth with 703 points.
Coach’s quote: “These girls competed with a lot heart for only being eighth- and ninth-graders, and we were very competitive in the point standings. Taking fourth place in slalom is great building block for next season.” – Hopkinton’s Bob Berliner