By: KJ Cardinal
KEENE, NH – For the first time in program history, Belmont boys basketball is state champions. The top-seeded Red Raiders earned a hard-fought 49-43 victory over No. 3 Kearsarge on Saturday night at Keene State College to come away with the 2025 NHIAA Division III state crown.
The win didn’t come easy as the Red Raiders had to hold off a second-half comeback by the Cougars to capture the title.
Belmont was paced by their big three as they have been all season long. The Red Raiders got 15 points and 17 rebounds from senior big man Keegan Martinez, while junior floor general Treshawn Ray added 15 of his own to go along with five assists. Senior forward Anakin Underhill tallied a double-double as well with 12 points and 10 boards.
The first half belonged to Belmont as they jumped out to a 17-11 lead after the first quarter and later led by as many as 13 points with 1:33 left in the 2nd quarter. The Red Raiders would take a 30-19 lead to the lockerroom.
The second half however, was a different story. Nate Camp’s Cougars outscored Belmont 24-19 over the final 16 minutes and nearly pulled off the upset. Kearsarge whittled it down to a one-possession game late, but just couldn’t quite get over the hump.
Cougar sophomore guard Eli Whipple led the way with 15 points, with his brother Noah added nine of his own.
At the end of the day, Belmont’s size was too much for Kearsarge to handle. The Red Raiders dominated on the glass, out-rebounding the Cougars 35-22, including 13-3 on the offensive boards with 16 second-chance points. Fittingly enough, Belmont’s final two field goals of the night were offensive put-backs by Martinez and Underhill to seal the win.
Under third-year head coach Tony Martinez, Belmont finishes the season with a 20-1 record. The loss ends the Cougars run at 19-3.
Check out the full photo gallery of the action by Jeff Criss of Perfect Photos…
