Third-quarter surge sends St. Thomas to D-III semis

Second-seeded St. Thomas used a 24-point third quarter to defeat #7 Belmont, 67-50, on Friday night in quarterfinal action of the NHIAA Division III State Tournament.

With the win, St. Thomas advances to the semifinals where they will take on #3 Mascoma Valley on Tuesday. The site is still to be determined.

The host Saints trailed by three after one quarter of play and later led by one at the half, prior to the 3rd-quarter onslaught. St. Thomas buried four triples in the third to win the quarter by 15 points and blow the game open.

The Saints were paced by a game-high 22 points from freshman Cole McClure, while Will Mollica and James Allen added 17 and 16 points, respectively. The Red Raiders were led by 20 points from Anakin Underhill, including 5 threes, and 13 from Keegan Martinez.

Check out the full photo gallery of the action by KJ Cardinal…