Belmont’s strong 2nd half sends Melrose packing, 74-52
Published in the March 9, 2018 edition
By JENNIFER GENTILE
MELROSE—Fresh off an overtime playoff win against Masconomet, the Melrose Red Raider basketball team fell to #4 seed Belmont (17-5), 74-52, in the MIAA Div. 2 North quarterfinals held at Belmont High on Sunday, March 4.
Despite a 19-point game from Melrose’s Joe Stanton and a flawless, 11-0 first period for the Red Raiders, Belmont quickly took over in the second and never let up, ending Melrose’s season at 11-10.
CHRIS CUSOLITO tries to grab hold of the ball during Melrose’s 74-52 playoff loss against #4 seed Belmont on Sunday. (Donna Larsson photo)
The Red Raiders came out fast with Anthony Colozzo (8 points) hitting a basket on first possession and Joe Stanton hitting a three, his first of five treys, which helped him tie the MHS school record at 72. Stanton finishes with 59 threes in a single-season and has twice-broken the single-game record with 6. Stanton’s five three-pointers on Sunday were much needed, but not enough to withstand Belmont’s attack in the second half.
Melrose’s Frantz Pierrot (7 points) was a defensive force and both he and junior Jay Tucci hit baskets that gave Melrose a 22-20 lead in the first that they wouldn’t hold on to, thanks to Belmont’s Will Ellet, whose two straight 3-pointers gave Belmont a lead of 29-23. Melrose was down 33-26 at the half but still in the game before a nightmare third quarter when Belmont outscored Raiders 30-8 to take a 62-30 lead. Melrose also suffered an injury to Pierrot that took him out of the game.
In the fourth, Melrose’s coach Mike Kasprzak called in his reserves to stop the bleeding, with spirited play from Jay Tucci, Charlie Stanton, Mike Fennell and freshman Amari-Andrew Brown. But ultimately Melrose’s starters, Joe Stanton and Luka Vlajkovic helped command the floor in the final quarter, narrowing the gap in defense and Stanton hitting back-to-back three pointers. In the end, Melrose bowed out to a very tough Belmont team, who is positioned to advance the Div. 2 North finals.
While Melrose coach Mike Kasprzak was disappointed in the outcome, he found silver linings in a few players.
“Anthony [Colozzo] and Frantz [Pierrot] came to play. That was Anthony’s finest game in his great postseason and Frantz was big for us before we lost him to injury. And what Joe has accomplished [breaking school records] this year is worth celebrating.”
Melrose’s crisp first quarter was pleasant to see, but according to the coach, it risked cooling. “I was happy to see them play with energy and do everything right, but something like that has the potential to break. We weren’t going to outscore a team like Belmont by that margin the whole game.” He points to a turning point in the contest when Melrose failed to capitalize on their 11-2 lead with simple lay ups. “We made mistakes,” says the coach. “Reality kicked in during the third. When we were patient we got baskets in. By the fourth, we straightened out and I told the team, “Let’s just win this quarter.”
And while the game didn’t go as planned, Kasprzak was happy that Melrose’s entered their 8th straight post season with an upset over higher-seeded Masco in first round play.
“Overall, I was glad that everyone on the bench was able to get minutes in during playoffs,” he said. “We will miss this year’s seniors but have a solid group of underclassmen returning. I think a terrific season is not too far ahead of us.”
