Needham Boys Get Split Results Against Milton

January 31, 2025
• Needham boys basketball picked up their 6th win of the season, while boys hockey dropped to 8-5. 

Boys Basketball picked up their third straight win, defeating Milton 49-28 on Tuesday, January 28th, thanks to a stifling defensive performance. The following night, Wednesday, January 29th, Boys Hockey fell to the Wildcats, 1-0.

In Tuesday’s win over Milton, the defense took centerstage for boys basketball. Up 10 heading into the fourth quarter, the Rockets did not allow a single point to be scored in the final frame. 

The first quarter was a low-scoring affair, ending tied up at nine. Milton got on the board first with a quick bucket from Henry O’Brien, who had all nine points for the Wildcats. Needham struggled from behind the arc, going 1/7 in the quarter. The Rockets took off in the second quarter, outscoring Milton 14-4 to take a 23-13 lead into the halftime break. Needham went on a 13-2 run to start the quarter, fueled by their defense, which had two steals on consecutive possessions for the Wildcats. Caden McNamee led the way for the Rockets in the quarter, scoring five points and getting one of those aforementioned steals. 

Milton made a push in the third, pulling within six points of Needham, but they couldn’t get any closer than that. Matthew Cloonan shined for the Rockets in the quarter, scoring seven points in just over two minutes. Needham took control in the fourth, as the defense shut down the Wildcats, who did not score a single point. While the Rockets struggled offensively, shooting just 3-of-18 from behind the arc (16.6%), their defensive efforts carried them to their third straight win.  

Needham’s scoring was balanced, with six players contributing over five points. McNamee led the way with eight, while Marino and Cloonan followed closely with seven apiece. 

The Rockets improves to 6-7 on the season, but they will need to climb their way into the top 32 teams of the MIAA Division 1 Boys Basketball Power Rankings or get to above .500 to make the postseason. They will be back in action on Friday, January 31st, as they face Weymouth at home.

On Wednesday night, the Needham boys hockey team took on Milton in a defensive showdown, with a single goal being the difference in favor of the Wildcats. 

The Rockets started off strong, dominating the offensive zone in the first five minutes. Needham had a few scoring chances, including a two-on-one opportunity for Nick Sewall and Will Saratella, but the pass was too far for Saratella to collect. With 7:55 left in the period, Needham’s Sean Concannon was sent to the penalty box for a slash, giving Milton their first power play. The Wildcats put two shots on the net before they were called for a penalty just 24 seconds into the advantage. Neither team capitalized on the opportunity, sending the game into the first intermission tied 0-0. 

Milton opened the second period with momentum, keeping the puck in Needham’s defensive zone for most of the first three minutes. A no-call fired up the Rockets’ bench when Joey Saratella took a big hit up high while skating with the puck. Moments later, Saratella retaliated with a hit along the boards and was sent to the box. Just eight seconds into the penalty kill, Sewall broke free again for Needham, but Milton goaltender Ryan Ashburn denied his short-hand attempt. The Rockets killed off the rest of the penalty as both teams continued to struggle offensively.

With 8:19 left in the period, the Rockets went on the penalty kill again after a hard hit from Will Saratella left a Milton player on the ice for several minutes before he finally skated off under his own power. But, just like the Wildcat’s first powerplay of the game, they were called for a penalty not even halfway through the two-minute advantage. Still, no team could break through on special teams, and the score remained 0-0 heading into the final period. 

The Rockets created a few chances early in the third, but Ashburn stood tall in the net. Needham went on the power play once again with 12:08 to play but struggled to keep the puck in the offensive zone. Will Saratella headed to the box again for Needham with 9:53 to play on a roughing call. This time, Milton finally broke through. With 37 seconds left on the power play, Ryan O’Neill fired a shot past Brownridge for the game’s lone goal.

The Rockets fall to 8-5 on the season, having lost three of their last four games. They’ll look to bounce back on the road against Weymouth on Saturday, February 1st, who they lost to 3-2 in overtime in their first game of the season. 

Check out the highlights of these games, which were featured on last week’s Needham Channel News!