By Nathaniel Ford

FARMINGTON – Belmont, the reigning Bash champions, lost a hard-fought game 63-53 against the Sanborn Indians. 

Sanborn knew going into today that Belmont had size in forwards Anakin Underhill and Keegan Martinez. “We wanted to pressure their guards and make it more difficult to get the ball up the floor,” said Sanborn head coach Wayne Souther. 

Souther’s squad is lacking in size, but they make up for it in the backcourt. He played to their strengths in the game plan, relying on backcourt defense to make the Red Raiders’ lives in the paint a lot harder. 

Early in the first, it was all Sanborn. They jumped to an early 7-0 lead, and they held their opponents scoreless for the first two minutes of the game. Belmont recovered and traded some baskets with the Indians, keeping the game competitive. 

Sanborn kept their relentless pressure on offense, and they finished the first quarter with a 23-11 lead. A big reason for this was Chase Frizzell, who caught fire and scored 11 points. 

Belmont locked in defensively in the second quarter, holding Sanborn to a scoreless three minute drought to open. Offensively, this quarter was all Keegan Martinez. The junior poured in 12 points, all of which coming in the paint. 

An 8-2 run in the Red Raiders’ favor cut the Sanborn lead to just seven points entering the break. Martinez had a game-high 15 first half points, while Frizzell was leading the way for Sanborn with 11.

The third quarter was as back-and-forth as a basketball game gets. Neither team could string together a big run at any point, and both teams were trading baskets. When all was said and done, Sanborn led 47-41 entering the fourth.

A key contributor for the Indians in the third was Cole Chaplin. He’s a big forward for Sanborn, who lacks size, and he contributed six points and stellar defense and effort in the quarter.

Souther was impressed by his performance. “I’m hoping he can build off of that, and more for the regular season as well,” he said. In future games against teams with a solid big man, Chaplin can hopefully provide the Indians with a spark they need, just like he did today.

Both teams kept battling in the fourth quarter. Belmont blew it open early, going on a 7-2 run in the first minutes, forcing a Sanborn timeout. This run cut the lead to just one point. Frizzell did not waver one big, finishing two layups coming out of the timeout and bringing the Sanborn lead back up to 5.

The Indians had another 6-0 run late in the quarter which gave them a 13-point cushion and secured the victory. It ended up finishing as a 63-53 victory for the Indians, knocking out the defending champs. 

Sanborn was paced by a 21 point performance from Chase Frizzell. Dylan Rego added 17 points, and Brandon Sarette scored 15 of his own. Belmont was led by a game-high 25 points from Keegan Martinez.

The Indians advance to the semifinals to face Derryfield tomorrow night at 7:00.

Check out photos of the action by KJ Cardinal…