By: KJ Cardinal
BOW, NH – Top-seeded Belmont outscored No. 5 St. Thomas 45-20 in the second half to erase a nine-point halftime deficit and pull away in a come-from-behind semifinal victory on Wednesday night at Bow High School.
The Red Raiders advance to the Division III championship game and will take on No. 3 Kearsarge on Saturday at Keene State College at 4:00 PM.
Belmont seemingly had no answer for the reigning D-III Player of the Year Cole McClure in the first half as the sophomore pumped in 18 of his game-high 34 points. The Saints were in control as they led 33-24 at the break.
The Red Raiders came out fired up for the second half as they pounded the ball down low to senior big man Keegan Martinez who paced Belmont with 10 points in the quarter. Treshawn Ray banked in a deep three as time expired on the third quarter clock to give the Red Raiders a 45-41 lead and all the momentum they’d need to cruise to the victory.
Martinez finished with 23 points, while Ray added 22. Anthony Settineri finished with 11 points for the Saints.
With the victory, Belmont improves to 19-1 on the season, while STA’s season comes to an end at 15-4.
Check out the full photo gallery by Jeff Criss of Perfect Photos…
