Marauders Storm Past Watertown, 70-64, In League Finale

A storm swept through Watertown Friday night. The thunder sounded, the heavens opened and nature raged for an hour.

And just as the weather erupted outside, a tempest was unleashed in Watertown High School’s gym as an entire season of frustrations suffered by theBoys’ Basketball team ignited as the Marauders dismantled the newly-crowned Middlesex League champions and 19^th ranked team in eastern Massachusetts, 70-64. 

Adam Prichard, the long-time head coach of the Belmont Boys’ Basketball team, said it has been a year of near wins, last second baskets that went in for the team’s opponents and not for his team.

From last year’s Middlesex League championship and a buzzer-beater two-point loss in the Eastern Mass finals in 2007, the 2010-11 season has been one which the team never hit their stride.

“We have been in so many games but just couldn’t find a way to win,” said Prichard.

The likelihood that the team was going to break that streak Friday appeared farfetched as Watertown had clinched the league title earlier in the week and were preparing for the post season lead by League MVP candidate, Watertown starting guard Marco Coppola.

But a combination of the willingness to battle the taller Red Raiders in the paint on offense that opened the door for uncontested three point attempts and a strong perimeter defense and boxing out on rebound opportunities proved the winning strategy for Belmont.

Only four Raiders scored

The defense only allowed four Red Raiders to score – no points from the bench and from one of their starters – while seven Marauders got into the scoring column.

“They did a great job tonight,” said Raiders head coach Steve Harrington. “We couldn’t keep anyone in front of us tonight. They beat us to the dribble penetration. They made some threes. And it really came down to their offense versus our defense and I thought they won that battle.”

With the defeat, Watertown slips to 15-4 on the season. Belmont, meanwhile, improves to 4-14.

In the first quarter, Watertown was on the right track getting out to the fast lead as Coppola (game-high 28 points) was fouled on a driving lay-up. The senior guard hit the free throw for the three-point play and put the Raiders up 14-7.

“You have to think that the league MVP is going to get his points but I think Luka kept him in check,” said Prichard.

And it was Ladan who brought the Marauders quickly back, when as time expired in the first period, the senior forward (24 points, 13 rebounds) banked in a three-pointer from the top of the circle to cut the deficit to 14-12.

“That changed the momentum a little bit,” said Harrington.

Watertown comeback deep-threed

The winds continued to blow against the Raiders to start the second, and after Marauder Alex Vosghanian came off the bench to drain consecutive three pointers, they found themselves down 23-18. The situation only grew direr as the deficit burgeoned to 32-24 going into halftime.

To begin the third quarter, Watertown went on an 8-2 run that was capped off by a 3-pointers. That brought the Raiders within three points, 38-35, but from that point Belmont’s co-captain John Dillon began scoring inside, Vosghanian hit his third three and Ladan hit his own three to bring the lead to 47-39.

And when junior guard Sam Musler launched his three bomb with 2.9 seconds left in the third, the lead was 11, 50-39, and the game was all but over with the Marauders taking home a special victory to end the league season.

“We came out strong in the second half, responded a little bit,” said Harrington. “But they did a good job of coming back at us.”

The Raiders will look to rebound as they hit the road to take on South Boston Tuesday for a 6 p.m. game. The Marauders finishes its season at a post league tournament this week.