February 28, 2025
• Girls Basketball starts their postseason journey with a win at home. In a close defensive battle, girls basketball defeated Andover, 52-48, in overtime in the first round of the MIAA Division 1 Tournament on Thursday, Feb. 27, at the A-Gym. With the Rockets trailing by one in the final 10 seconds of regulation, Eva Andrews grabbed a crucial rebound off a missed Andover free throw. Needham quickly got the ball to Dani Deroian, who was fouled going to the basket, and after missing the first free throw, she calmly sank the second to send the game to a four minute overtime. Needham found themselves down two points multiple times in the first quarter before putting together a quick 5-0 run in the final minute to take 14-11 lead heading into the second. Callie McCarthy, who finished with seven points, was key in the Rockets’ success, scoring four points in the frame. However, Needham struggled at the free throw line, going just 3-of-8 in the quarter. Things got sloppy for both squads in the second, with Needham committing nine turnovers and Andover adding seven. Despite that, the Rockets dominated on the boards, out-rebounding the Golden Warriors 19-8 in the first half and preventing Andover from scoring any second-chance points. Andover struggled offensively in the second quarter, failing to hit a field goal until less than three minutes remained when Kallie Martin hit a big three-pointer to cut Needham’s lead back down to four. That spark helped the Golden Warriors tie the game at 21 before the Rockets responded with a putback from Andrews, who ended the night with a double-double (13 points and 15 rebounds). Needham kept Andover at arm’s length for a majority of the third quarter and early into the fourth. But, with just 2:52 left in regulation, the Golden Warriors took their first lead since the first quarter with a basket from sophomore Elizabeth LaRovere, who led the game in scoring with 18 points. The final four minutes of the game were dramatic, with three lead changes and two ties, to keep everyone in the A-Gym on the edge of their seats. With Andover up 42-41 and just four seconds left on the clock, Deroian knocked down a free throw to send the game to overtime. The Rockets jumped ahead in overtime with a 7-1 run in the first three minutes. Deroian added two more free throws, Andrews crashed the boards for another putback, and Hannah Levine hit a timely three from the corner to give Needham control. On the defensive end, the Rockets forced eight turnovers between the fourth quarter and overtime to limit Andover’s offense and seal the win. Levine added 12 points to Needham’s balanced scoring, while Mia Vidoni was key to the Golden Warriors’ comeback, bringing down 10 rebounds and scoring eight points, six of which came in the second half. With the win, the Rockets advance to the Round of 16, where they will face the winner of #4 Braintree vs. #29 Shrewsbury.
• Girls Basketball starts their postseason journey with a win at home. In a close defensive battle, girls basketball defeated Andover, 52-48, in overtime in the first round of the MIAA Division 1 Tournament on Thursday, Feb. 27, at the A-Gym. With the Rockets trailing by one in the final 10 seconds of regulation, Eva Andrews grabbed a crucial rebound off a missed Andover free throw. Needham quickly got the ball to Dani Deroian, who was fouled going to the basket, and after missing the first free throw, she calmly sank the second to send the game to a four minute overtime. Needham found themselves down two points multiple times in the first quarter before putting together a quick 5-0 run in the final minute to take 14-11 lead heading into the second. Callie McCarthy, who finished with seven points, was key in the Rockets’ success, scoring four points in the frame. However, Needham struggled at the free throw line, going just 3-of-8 in the quarter. Things got sloppy for both squads in the second, with Needham committing nine turnovers and Andover adding seven. Despite that, the Rockets dominated on the boards, out-rebounding the Golden Warriors 19-8 in the first half and preventing Andover from scoring any second-chance points. Andover struggled offensively in the second quarter, failing to hit a field goal until less than three minutes remained when Kallie Martin hit a big three-pointer to cut Needham’s lead back down to four. That spark helped the Golden Warriors tie the game at 21 before the Rockets responded with a putback from Andrews, who ended the night with a double-double (13 points and 15 rebounds). Needham kept Andover at arm’s length for a majority of the third quarter and early into the fourth. But, with just 2:52 left in regulation, the Golden Warriors took their first lead since the first quarter with a basket from sophomore Elizabeth LaRovere, who led the game in scoring with 18 points. The final four minutes of the game were dramatic, with three lead changes and two ties, to keep everyone in the A-Gym on the edge of their seats. With Andover up 42-41 and just four seconds left on the clock, Deroian knocked down a free throw to send the game to overtime. The Rockets jumped ahead in overtime with a 7-1 run in the first three minutes. Deroian added two more free throws, Andrews crashed the boards for another putback, and Hannah Levine hit a timely three from the corner to give Needham control. On the defensive end, the Rockets forced eight turnovers between the fourth quarter and overtime to limit Andover’s offense and seal the win. Levine added 12 points to Needham’s balanced scoring, while Mia Vidoni was key to the Golden Warriors’ comeback, bringing down 10 rebounds and scoring eight points, six of which came in the second half. With the win, the Rockets advance to the Round of 16, where they will face the winner of #4 Braintree vs. #29 Shrewsbury.
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