Rough Week for the Rockets

March 3, 2025
• The winter sports season is winding down.

The season has ended for Needham boys and girls hockey, as well as boys basketball, after all three teams were eliminated on the road in their respective Round of 32 matchups of the MIAA Division 1 State Tournament.

Despite winning their preliminary game at King Philip on Tuesday, Feb. 25, boys basketball fell to Central Catholic on Thursday, Feb. 27. Boys hockey suffered a 6-1 loss at Archbishop Williams on Feb. 25, while girls hockey lost 8-3 the following night at Bishop Feehan.

Boys basketball (#36) kicked off the playoffs with a road game against King Philip (#29) in a preliminary round matchup to determine who would advance to the Round of 32. The Rockets upset the Warriors after holding off a dangerous third quarter comeback attempt in which Needham’s 14 point lead was cut down to just two. It was a balanced effort all around for Needham, who saw eight players score. Matthew Cloonan led the team with 12 points, followed by Jeremy Gould, Ben Marino and Foster Wilinski who each scored 10 points. Unfortunately, the boys couldn’t keep up with a strong Central Catholic team (#4) in the next round and were eliminated with a 58-34 loss.

Boys hockey (#21) was unable to advance past the first round, falling 6-1 at Archbishop Williams (#12). Tommy Peabody scored the Rockets’ lone goal, while Brody Kabilian notched a hat trick for the Bishops in only his fifth game of the season, after missing significant time due to injuries.

Girls hockey (#26) suffered a similar fate, losing 8-3 to Bishop Feehan (#7). After getting on the board first with a goal from freshman Cassie Ling, Needham gave up five unanswered goals in the second period to go down by four. The Shamrocks added a sixth goal about 30 seconds into the third period before the Rockets answered with a goal from Sarah Porras. Ling added one more goal for the Rockets, her 17th of the season, but it wouldn’t be enough to overcome the deficit. Chloe Bryda led Bishop Feehan with a hat trick.

Girls Basketball is the only Needham team remaining in the playoffs after their overtime win against Andover. For more on that game, check out this recap: 

https://needhamlocal.org/2025/02/needham-tops-andover-52-48-in-overtime-thriller/