BOW – Junior guard Treshawn Ray’s buzzer-beating heave from half court was a piece of the magic the Belmont High boys’ basketball team conjured up at just the right moment.

Ray’s 3-pointer gave the team a four-point lead going into the fourth quarter, the largest the top-seeded Raiders (19-1) had achieved all night. It also injected energy that carried them through the end of their 69-53 victory No. 5 St. Thomas (15-4) in the Division III semifinals at Bow High on Wednesday night.

Belmont had not lost a game since Jan. 13, and the 11-game win streak was extended by one more. Coincidentally, the streak started with the Raiders’ 50-48 win over the Saints in January, so it only felt right that they were forced to defeat them again to make it to the championship.

Both teams seemed evenly matched in the first quarter, and according to head coach Tony Martinez, both teams exercised some caution as they waited to see how the other would attack first. In many ways, it was a tactical battle that required immense focus and grit from the Raiders.

In the second quarter, Saints sophomore guard Cole McClure (34 points) drove his team forward and scored 16 points to put his team ahead at the half, 33-24.

Belmont did not panic and played to its strengths. Senior center Anakin Underhill hauled in rebounds, Ray was quick on his feet and shifty with the basketball and senior forward Keegan Martinez kept fighting to score in the paint.

The heave by Ray, in that moment of the game, was symbolic of the mental toughness Belmont has shown all season. The entire team came out with different energy in the third quarter to completely neutralize St. Thomas’ offense.

“I think the key to winning this game was composure. We knew St. Thomas was a great team and we knew we were going to get their best, and we did – that second quarter they came out and showed why they’re the defending champs. We were down nine, but we didn’t let it get to us,” Tony Martinez said. “We came out, we settled in and played our game, and I think once we figured that out and stayed composed, good things just started happening.”

Keegan Martinez led the team with 23 points and 10 rebounds, but he was followed closely behind by Ray with 22 points and eight assists. Underhill had a fiery fourth quarter to bring his totals up to 12 points and eight rebounds, and sophomore guard Brody Ennis scored eight. Between their size, skills, versatility and depth, the Raiders could not be stopped down the stretch when St. Thomas’ starters got into trouble.

Keegan Martinez and Ray said that they’ve faced it all before, and that they have now come too far to let anything get in the way of the championship.

Boys’ basketball title-game appearances have been few and far between for Belmont. The Raiders have never won a state crown, and their three previous appearances were losses against now-defunct Ashland High in 1949, 1950 and 1970. On Saturday afternoon at Keene State College, this generation of Raiders talent will have the chance to go down in Belmont history and finally reach the pinnacle of their division.

No. 3 Kearsarge (19-2) will be tough to beat, as evidenced by its equally impressive and dominant performance earlier in the day to breeze past No. 2 Mascoma, 52-33. Coach Martinez said he’s preparing for another chess match and that, once again, the key for his team to win will be staying disciplined.

“We played in the Christmas tournament and there were big games all the time, crowd going crazy, and I think we play as a team,” Ray added. “At the end of the day, if you play as a team, it doesn’t matter about anything else. And I think that if people say we’re inexperienced, we’ll just show them that we really are experienced and we’re coming for everybody.

“We got Saturday. We’re gonna gear up, go tomorrow, come right back to practice.”

Alexander Rapp can be reached at arapp@cmonitor.com.