Belmont bumps Burlington
Marauders fourth quarter flurry enough for victory
BURLINGTON — In a contest between the two best teams in the Middlesex League, it was only fitting it came down to the wire.
No. 20 Belmont used a 17-2 run over the final couple of minutes, including a 15-0 run at one point, to take down No. 25 Burlington, 70-61, in a compelling contest on the road for the Marauders.
“It is good for both teams,” said Belmont coach Adam Pritchard about playing a close game against tough competition late into the season. “As much as you prepare in practice, you need situations in games to call upon. This is one where both teams will call upon the good and the bad.”
With a 59-53 hole with just over two minutes left, Belmont (14-3, 13-2) went on a 6-0 run to knot the score 5959 and got the ball back with 53.6 on the clock. Junior Tim Minicozzi (13 points) drilled the go-ahead 3-pointer to make it 62-59 with just 40 seconds to go.
“It feels good, but it was all my teammates finding me,” Minicozzi said about sinking the eventual game-winner. “I just had to hit the shot. I was open.”
The Marauders hit all eight of their free throws the rest of the way, as senior captain Mac Annus swished six of those with a team-high 16 points.
“We are a good free throw shooting team,” said Pritchard. “We have been all season, and it is a gift to a coach.”
Sophomore Preston Jackson-Stephens also scored 16 for Belmont. For the Red Devils, sophomore Aidan Olivier dropped a game-high 20 points. Senior captain Kyle Inglis added 19.
Early in the fourth, Burlington (15-4, 12-3) and Belmont traded leads four times as the Red Devils drilled 4-of-5 from distance to build a six-point lead late. They missed their final four shots from deep to end the contest and finished 9-of-29 from 3-point land.
To start the second half, the Red Devils came out on fire with a 16-2 run to go up 44-37 after Belmont led 35-28 at the half. The Marauders ended the quarter on a 6-0 run to make it a 44-43 game after three.
In the first half, Burlington led 8-0 early before Belmont cut it to 12-10 at the end of one. The Marauders then outscored the Red Devils 2516 in the second to build a seven-point halftime advantage.
With a little over a week until the playoff seedings are decided, Belmont is more than ready for environments like this in the state tournament.
“It was a good game,” Minicozzi said. “It was a fun atmosphere just to go back and forth. It was just fun more than stressful.”