NEEDHAM BOYS BASKETBALL STARTS NEW YEAR OFF WITH WIN OVER WALPOLE IN HOME OPENER
January 3, 2024
- The Rockets were up by three at halftime and never gave the lead back to The TimberwolvesÂ
The Needham boys basketball team snapped their four-game losing streak with a strong 57-46 victory over Walpole in their home opener on Friday night in the A Gym.
The Timberwolves opened the game strong, taking a five-point lead. But Needham quickly responded with a three from Ben Marino to put them on the board. The Rockets would take their first lead of the game shortly after with a layup from senior captain Max Goodrow. After a back-and-forth quarter, Needham was up by one, 12-11, heading into the second quarter.
The Rockets came out firing in the second quarter with a three from Matthew Cloonan. A few minutes later, Marino added another from beyond the arc to put Needham up by seven. Walpole managed to cut the lead down to two, but Marino hit another three with just 52 seconds left in the quarter. The junior guard finished the game with a team-high 19 points. However, the Timberwolves wouldn’t go away easily as they hit a floater to make it a three-point Rockets lead, 30-27, heading into the locker room.
Both teams struggled offensively to start the third quarter, combining for just 4 points in the first 3 minutes. Eventually, Needham would get going, going on an 8-0 run in the final 2:30 of the quarter. Senior captain Jeremy Gould and junior Andrew Chen each hit three-pointers to extend the Rockets lead to 45-35 heading into the fourth.
Walpole cut the lead to six early in the fourth but couldn’t overcome the ten-point deficit. The Rockets kept the pressure on the Timberwolves, extending their lead to 12 before giving up two late baskets to make it 55-46 in the final minute. Despite Walpole’s efforts to foul and extend the game, the Rockets secured the 57-46 victory.
Needham looks to build on that momentum next week, starting with a road game against Milton on Tuesday, January 7th. The Rockets return home next Friday, January 10th at 6:45 p.m., which will air live on The Needham Channel.
Check out some of the highlights from the game on our Instagram:
