With over 500 spectators in attendance, Friday Night Hoops has reached new heights. Event organizers moved the action to the Blue Court (further from the Barn entrance), which created more space for fans to sit, stand, and socialize while watching the action. Families, faculty members, and alumni mingled throughout the evening and were treated to a pair of high-level basketball games that saw each school leaving with a win in the double header action. Our middle school athletics correspondent, seventh grader Suryavir Nallari-Jhala, was at the scorer’s table for both games and recaps the action below.
– John O’Neill, director of athletics
- Team captains Jonathan Laipson and Emmett Mak will look to keep the varsity fencing team locked in for their final meet of the season against ISB. The team is currently 6-0.
- Team veterans Wyatt Baker and Alexander Kiraly wrestled tough during Belmont Day’s quad meet at Belmont Hill. Team captain Jun Murakami had an impressive pin.
- Simon Bays, Sabine Rooney, Indira Yeshwant, and LeMay Zhang have been active participants on the sixth grade badminton team this winter.
- The climbing and hiking team has received great contributions from classmates Sylvie Fry, Mame Gensler and Maren Whitman who bring focus and energy to each and every class.
- Coach Nyland shouted out Pippa Ellner (energy), Noor Khan (serves), Wren Kass (focus), and Noah Yang (footwork) for their standout contributions in badminton this week.
- The junior varsity basketball teams split against Fenn/Nashoba this week. Anna Bantham-Livermore delivered at point guard for the girls (W). Silas O’Brien played strong defense for the boys (L).
Friday Night Hoops 2025
Boys’ Varsity Seals the Win in the Last Seconds
At Friday Night Hoops, Belmont Day’s boys’ varsity basketball team took on their rival Meadowbrook in an intense battle that came down to the very end. Meadowbrook headed into this game undefeated, while BDS struggled at 1-4. The game began with Meadowbrook taking an early lead of 14-6 as they out-hustled BDS. But BDS slowly but surely clawed their way back and took a 21-20 lead into halftime. Evan Bae, Kiernan Patel, and Samuel Rodriguez played smart and aggressive to draw fouls and get to the free-throw line.
The defense also shined in the first half. Coaches Alex Tzelnic and Charlie Baird guided the defense to play tight on the Meadowbrook players as soon as they got the ball in their hands. The second half started with an even battle between both teams, and the game was tied 30-30 with 10 minutes to go. Copeland Maier was very active in the paint grabbing offensive rebounds and making points down low. He contributed in key baskets down the stretch of the game. Mylo Rosenfeld and Calum Dunbar provided energy and key contributions off the bench for BDS.
The game was neck and neck in the second half and was tied 40-40 with only one minute to go. Meadowbrook had the ball in their hands, but with a quick move, Evan Bae jumped the pass and stole the ball. At the other end, Bae pump faked and shot a midrange jumper to give BDS the lead 42-4o. Meadowbrook had possession with 25 seconds on the clock, but BDS played tight defense, forcing Meadowbrook to call a timeout. With just 7 seconds left, Meadbrook drew a foul call and went to the free-throw line to tie the game. Meadowbrook’s player missed the free throw, and the rebound was tipped out of bounds, which gave BDS the ball back. Meadowbrook was forced to foul with only 0.4 seconds on the clock. But a BDS misstep over the free throw line gave Meadowbrook the ball and a chance to win it. Needing a miracle now, the ball was inbounded to one of Meadowbrook’s players, who heaved a one-handed shot for the win. The shot sailed off target, and the Blue & Gold sealed to win!
Congratulations to both teams on a hard-fought, well-played, and very entertaining game that was decided with only seconds on the clock.
Girls’ Varsity Take a Tough Loss
The Belmont Day girls’ varsity basketball team suffered a tough loss at Friday Night Hoops against rival Meadowbrook with a final score of 25-43. The team started the first half playing tight defense on Meadowbrook’s players. Coaches John O’Neill and Vaniecia Skinner gave the team a solid game plan and made adjustments to give the team a chance. The game was close before halftime with Meadowbrook leading 20-14. Sara Colangelo, Julia Casey, and Lila Green provided some excellent points and created good looks. On the other end, Samantha Cuming and Harper Triesman played strong defense on Meadowbrook.
However, in the second half, the team struggled from the start. Meadowbrook was a rocket in the second half, going on an 18-1 run and putting the BDS defense to the test every time down the floor. There was no stopping Meadowbrook’s top player for the night who scored at the basket nearly every time she touched the ball. The offense also got clamped by Meadowbrook’s tough D and BDS couldn’t find good shots. Sophie Cutie finally stopped the scoring drought with a great layup, but it was too little, too late. While it was a tough defeat on the home court, BDS improved by the end of the game and made smart decisions with the ball in their hands. With the loss at FNH, the girl’s varsity squad sat at 4-2 and were looking ahead to adding more wins to end the season.
– Suryavir Nallari-Jhala, seventh grader and basketball correspondent
