February 19, 2025
• With the win, the Rockets secured a .500 record, guaranteeing them a spot in the play-in round of the MIAA Division 1 Tournament. Needham boys basketball punched their ticket to the postseason Tuesday evening with a 63-54 win over Boston College High School, powered by strong rebounding and balanced scoring. Junior Ben Marino led the Rockets with a game-high 21 points and eight rebounds, but Needham saw plenty of contributors in the scoring column, with four players finishing the game in double figures. The Rockets took their first lead two minutes into the game and never gave it back to BC High, pushing that lead to 10 by the end of the first half and fighting off a comeback attempt from the Eagles. After a slow start to the first quarter, Needham went on a 7-2 run in the last 2:50 to take a 13-6 lead. Julian Sustache contributed four of BC High’s six points in the quarter, but the Eagles struggled to get their offense going and went 0-of-4 from the free throw line. The Rockets out-rebounded BC High 10-6 in the quarter, preventing the Eagles from scoring any second chance points. Needham continued their run in the second quarter with two quick buckets from Matthew Cloonan and another from Sean Walker to push the score to 19-6. The Rockets extended their lead to 15 with 1 minute and 20 seconds left in the half, but BC High cut the deficit back to ten by the end of the quarter, 32-22. Cloonan scored six points in the quarter, while Max Goodrow scored his first four for Needham. BC High turned things around at the free throw line, going 5-of-5 in the quarter. But, the Eagles continued to struggle offensively, shooting just 1-of-8 (12.5%) from behind the arc. BC High started the third quarter in a full-court press, which forced an early Needham turnover. The Rockets struggled to protect the ball in the quarter, giving up six turnovers while forcing zero. The Eagles cut the deficit to four at one point in the quarter and outscored Needham 18-14 in the frame but could not get any closer than that. James Jones dominated the quarter for the Eagles, scoring eight points and collecting five rebounds. The Rockets responded in the fourth, pushing the lead back to 15 with a 9-0 run, highlighted by Walker hitting a three-pointer less than 3 minutes into the quarter. The Eagles finally started hitting their shots, going 4-of-12 (33.3%) in the second half, but Needham kept BC High at bay. Foster Wilinski finished with a double-double, recording 10 points and 10 rebounds. Goodrow added 12 points, Cloonan had 10, and Marino led the Rockets with 21, for the second game in a row. The Rockets will be back in action on Thursday, February 20th, for their final regular season game against a tough Central Catholic team ranked 4th in the MIAA Division 1 Power Rankings.
• With the win, the Rockets secured a .500 record, guaranteeing them a spot in the play-in round of the MIAA Division 1 Tournament. Needham boys basketball punched their ticket to the postseason Tuesday evening with a 63-54 win over Boston College High School, powered by strong rebounding and balanced scoring. Junior Ben Marino led the Rockets with a game-high 21 points and eight rebounds, but Needham saw plenty of contributors in the scoring column, with four players finishing the game in double figures. The Rockets took their first lead two minutes into the game and never gave it back to BC High, pushing that lead to 10 by the end of the first half and fighting off a comeback attempt from the Eagles. After a slow start to the first quarter, Needham went on a 7-2 run in the last 2:50 to take a 13-6 lead. Julian Sustache contributed four of BC High’s six points in the quarter, but the Eagles struggled to get their offense going and went 0-of-4 from the free throw line. The Rockets out-rebounded BC High 10-6 in the quarter, preventing the Eagles from scoring any second chance points. Needham continued their run in the second quarter with two quick buckets from Matthew Cloonan and another from Sean Walker to push the score to 19-6. The Rockets extended their lead to 15 with 1 minute and 20 seconds left in the half, but BC High cut the deficit back to ten by the end of the quarter, 32-22. Cloonan scored six points in the quarter, while Max Goodrow scored his first four for Needham. BC High turned things around at the free throw line, going 5-of-5 in the quarter. But, the Eagles continued to struggle offensively, shooting just 1-of-8 (12.5%) from behind the arc. BC High started the third quarter in a full-court press, which forced an early Needham turnover. The Rockets struggled to protect the ball in the quarter, giving up six turnovers while forcing zero. The Eagles cut the deficit to four at one point in the quarter and outscored Needham 18-14 in the frame but could not get any closer than that. James Jones dominated the quarter for the Eagles, scoring eight points and collecting five rebounds. The Rockets responded in the fourth, pushing the lead back to 15 with a 9-0 run, highlighted by Walker hitting a three-pointer less than 3 minutes into the quarter. The Eagles finally started hitting their shots, going 4-of-12 (33.3%) in the second half, but Needham kept BC High at bay. Foster Wilinski finished with a double-double, recording 10 points and 10 rebounds. Goodrow added 12 points, Cloonan had 10, and Marino led the Rockets with 21, for the second game in a row. The Rockets will be back in action on Thursday, February 20th, for their final regular season game against a tough Central Catholic team ranked 4th in the MIAA Division 1 Power Rankings.
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