Rockets Winter Teams Blast Off For New Season

December 19, 2024

•Basketball and Hockey teams all have at least one win so far.

With barely so much as a week since the Needham Football season finished their campaign in the State Championship, Needham Winter Varsity Sports have already begun their seasons, with Boys and Girls Basketball and Hockey all claiming at least one victory so far. Girls Basketball was the only one to start a perfect 2-0, with a dominant 73-21 win at Weymouth on Thursday, December 12th, followed by a 41-32 victory at home against Brookline on Tuesday, December 17th.

In the opener, five Rockets scored in double figures, with Annie Camozzi leading with 13 points, Noa Brown had 11, Callie McCarthy had 10 points, 9 assists and 5 steals, Eva Andrews had 10 points and 5 rebounds and Hannah Levine added 10 points to go along with 3 assists. The Rockets finished with 18 total assists.

The game against Brookline, Needham’s home opener was close, with the Warriors leading 18-17 at halftime and 26-23 after three quarters. But the Rockets outscored their Bay State Conference rivals 18-6 in the final quarter. Brown was the only Needham player in double figures, with 10 points, but Andrews grabbed an incredible 24 rebounds to go along with 8 points. Camozzi had 9 points and 9 rebounds, with Levine adding 9 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds.

Boys Hockey opened up their season on Saturday, December 14th with a 3-2 loss in overtime to Weymouth at Babson Skating Center. Joe Kajunski, one of the teams captains and a key player from the run by Needham Football, scored the first goal of the season, late in the 1st period.

The Wildcats would strike back in the 2nd, with goals from Alex Stockton and Ryan McDonald to take a 2-1 lead into the second intermission. Then in the 3rd, with just over six minutes left, another Football player, Nick Sewall, scored the equalizer for the Rockets. The two teams would play a five minute overtime period, with Ryan Ferguson of the Wildcats getting the game winner 2:09 into the extra session.

Despite giving up the three goals, Sophomore Goalie Carson Brownridge would have 25 saves, then 20 more on Wednesday, December 18th, when Needham would get their first win of the season, 6-1 at Brookline. Sewall scored two more goals to bring his season total to three, with Matt Ledbury, Tommy Peabody and Matt Rutter all scoring, as well as Will Rosenberg, who scored his first career varsity goal.

Girls Hockey earned a 2-2 tie in their opener at Weymouth on December 14th, with neither team scoring in the five minute OT session and Needham getting goals from Jill Peabody and Sarah Porras. On the 18th against Brookline, the Rockets jumped out to a huge lead in the 1st period, with a pair of goals by Bella D’Amelio and another by Katelyn Birnbaum in between.

In the 2nd period, the two teams traded Power Play Goals, with Suejin Koo scoring for the Warriors and Emmie Verville doing the same for the Rockets. Brookline would get one more in the third period, thanks to Birdie Hawkins, but Needham Goalie Caitlin McNeill made sure the Warriors would get no closer. Brookline Goalie Jaclyn Solovey had a busy night, turning back a host of Needham shots while only allowing four of them in the net.

The Needham Channel was at three of the aforementioned games, but have yet to check out Boys Basketball as of yet. Head Coach Paul Liner’s team won their first game, 59-40 at Weymouth on December 12th. Will Wheeler led the Rockets with 16 points and 10 rebounds, with Max Goodrow adding 9 points. Needham would fall in their second game, however, 65-50 at Brookline on December 17th.

The first TNC Boys Basketball broadcast is scheduled for Friday, January 10th at 6:30pm, against rival Newton North, but we before that will be Girls Basketball vs. Bishop Feehan on Monday, January 6th at 6:30pm, followed by Girls Hockey vs. Milton on Wednesday, January 8th at 6:30pm.

The highlights above ran as part of the Needham Channel News, a weekly newscast airing on The Needham Channel every Thursday at 7:30pm. The Needham Channel News can be found on the Community Channel: Comcast 9, Astound 15 and Verizon 29. Most Thursdays it also can be viewed on our HD Channel on Verizon 2129, Astound 613 and streaming on this site.