For the Belmont girls’ basketball team, everything starts with defense, and for the second straight game, a solid performance on that end of the floor was enough for an upset.
Julianna Estremera scored 17 points with six steals and the Raiders held Hopkinton to just two points in the third quarter, leading Belmont (4-5) to a 40-33 victory over the Hawks (7-3) on Monday at Belmont High School.
The victory marks back-to-back wins for Belmont over opponents in the top six in Division III.
The Raiders defeated St. Thomas (5-3) on Friday, stifling the Saints’ offense in a 45-25 win. Belmont outscored St. Thomas, 17-2, in the fourth quarter of Friday’s game and played what Raiders head coach Mark Dawalga called “the defense we’ve played all year.”
Belmont picked up where it left off, taking an 11-10 lead in the first quarter and opened the second quarter with an 11-0 run to go up 22-10 with 2:52 remaining in the half.
“It’s probably better execution (in the 11-0 run), but everything with us starts on defense,” Dawalga said. “It’s something we’ve been harping on for a while. In the last two games its really been coming into form.”
The Hawks responded with a run of their own, scoring the final six points of the half to cut the deficit to 22-16, but Belmont only surrendered two points in the third frame and Mackenzie Donovan (six points) and Estremera both hit 3s, including Estremera’s 3 at the buzzer, extending the Raiders lead to 29-18 heading into the fourth.
Katie Galambos (12 rebounds, four points) and Lizzie Fleming led Belmont’s defensive effort, deflecting Hopkinton passes and fighting for loose balls, an effort that was matched by several teammates.
“The two of them (Galambos and Fleming) really spark our defense. They’re our energizers,” said Dawalga, who also credited Morgan Hall (eight points), Molly Sottak and Alexis Donovan with solid defensive games. “They dug in, they played hard. They were diving for loose balls. It was a great team win.”
“We struggled shooting the ball and that opened up some opportunities for Belmont,” Hopkinton head coach Pat Roye said. “We played hard to the end. This is a game we can learn from.”
The Raiders opened up a 12-point lead (34-22) with three minutes left in the game, but Hopkinton didn’t go down without a fight, putting together a 9-4 run in the next 1:50, cutting the Hawks’ deficit to 38-31 with 1:10 to go.
Amelia Thomas (12 points), Maurgan McGrath (11 points) and Brooke Carlson (seven points) were Hopkinton’s top scorers.
“To Hopkinton’s credit they came out and changed a lot (in the second half),” Dawlaga said. “Hopkinton is a well-coached team … They’re solid. We were able to make a couple more shots than they were. That was the difference.”
Estremera, who went 4-for-7 from the charity stripe, connected on three free throws in the closing minutes to ice Belmont’s victory.
“When we’re getting deflections, that’s where it all starts,” Dawalga said. “As a coach sometimes you’re lost for words … it’s fun as a coach when you see things coming together. It was nice for the kids.”
Both teams take the court again on Friday against some of D-III’s best programs. Belmont will travel to White Mountains to take on the Spartans (6-3), while Hopkinton will play host to second-place Monadnock (7-1).
Lebanon 53, Kearsarge 31
Key players: Kearsarge – Mary Meagher (7 points), Meg Roy (5 points)
Highlights: The Cougars held D-II’s first-place team at bay early on and trailed by 12 points at halftime, but Lebanon used an 18-6 third quarter to secure the victory.
Coach’s quote: “Our girls played really hard tonight. With that effort we will make this season a success. We have to keep plugging away and get ready for Wednesday night.” – Kearsarge’s Keith Roberts
Records: Lebanon 8-0; Kearsarge 2-5
Berlin 50, Franklin 23
Key players: Franklin – Fayth Kaspszak (7 points), Ashleigh Magoon (6 points)
Coach’s quote: “We are struggling scoring the ball. We are getting good looks, but the shots just aren’t falling. We will continue to work and hopefully we can get this turned around.” – Franklin’s JJ Winters
Records: Berlin 6-4; Franklin 3-6
Lebanon 66, Kearsarge 49
Key players: Kearsarge – Noah Tremblay (24 points), Ben Carl (20 points)
Highlights: Lebanon converted 31 free throws to Kearsarge’s nine.
Coach’s quote: “We needed more defensive energy like the first time we played them. Unfortunately they got out to a great start and we were in catch-up mode all night. We gave up too many easy buckets in the paint and from the arc. On a positive note, I was very proud of how Noah and Ben stepped up tonight and played with lots of confidence.” – Kearsarge’s Nate Camp
Records: Lebanon 4-2; Kearsarge 3-4
Berlin 84, Franklin 64
Key players: Franklin – Ben Lafrance (16 points), C.J.Gaslin (12 points); Berlin – Sincere Davis (29 points), Seth Balderrama (19 points)
Highlights: The Golden Tornadoes weren’t able to contain the explosive offense of one of D-III’s best programs.
Coach’s quote: “Berlin is a very good team that doesn’t make a lot of mistakes.” – Franklin’s Michael Donnell
Records: Berlin 6-3; Franklin 2-5
Pittsfield 58, Farmington 50
Key players: Pittsfield – Devin Bedell (21 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists), Dylan Bocash (16 points, 15 rebounds), Jesse MacGlashing (7 points)
Highlights: Bedell scored 11 points in the second quarter to help the Panthers take a 30-22 halftime lead. Pittsfield maintained a double-digit lead for most of the second half, until the Tigers surged and cut the lead to four points early in the fourth. Tyler Prentice and Bedell responded by connecting from behind-the-arc to rebuild Pittsfield’s lead.
Coach’s quote: “Dylan was huge on the boards for us tonight. As a team we did a nice job of limiting Farmington to one attempt each time down the floor.” – Pittsfield’s Jay Darrah
Records: Pittsfield 7-2; Farmington 3-6
Concord 5,
Nashua North-Souhegan 0
Key players: Concord – Matt Hauschild (2G, 2A), Ryan Philbrick (3A), Evan Makris (G), Shane Riley (G), Tyler Coskren (G), Zach Drew (A), Noah Drew (A), Andrew Paquette (A), Alex Forward (A); North/Souhegan – Colin Duckless (45 saves)
Highlights: The game was scoreless through two periods, despite the Tide outshooting North-Souhegan, 32-8. North-Souhegan goalie Colin Duckless made 45 saves, but a five-minute major penalty four minutes into the third proved to be costly, as Concord scored five power-play goals on the one major. Concord finished the game with a 50-11 advantage in shots.
Coach’s quote: “We need to find a way to start scoring even-strength goals. We need to get to the net and start knocking in rebounds and be stronger on the puck in front. The power play was good on their major but we can’t keep relying on the power play to score. We need to play much better vs. Bishop Guertin on Wednesday.” – Concord’s Dunc Walsh
Records: Concord 7-1; North/Souhegan 2-7
Laconia-Winnisquam 4,
Hollis Brookline-Derryfield 1
Key players: Laconia-Winnisquam – Cole Reid (3G), Evan Rollins (49 saves)
Highlights: The Wolfpack jumped out to an early lead on two first-period goals from Reid, who completed his hat trick with a goal in the third. Freshman netminder Rollins stood on his head in goal, turning aside 49 shots to help the Wolfpack secure its first win of the season on Saturday.
Coach’s quote: “After back-to-back overtime loses, the Wolfpack was ripe to break into the win column. Rollins has given the Wolfpack a chance to compete with his outstanding effort in goal. Reid continues to lead the team in scoring and with his third hat trick in six games.” – Laconia-Winnisquam’s Marc Joyal
Records: Laconia-Winnisquam 1-5; Hollis Brookline-Derryfield 3-3