Girls Basketball Drops Close One Against Braintree
February 6, 2026
• Needham fell to perennial Bay State Conference foe Braintree.
The Needham girls varsity basketball team welcomed in the Braintree Wamps on Senior Night Friday at the A Gym, in the Rockets’ second to last home game of the regular season. The Rockets, ranked #5 in the MIAA Division 1 Power Rankings, were hoping to win their third straight game and sweep their regular season series with Braintree, but the Wamps would finish the game on a 10-0 run, taking the 4th quarter 15-7 and outscoring the Rockets 25-13 in the second half to win 50-44.
Needham beat Braintree back on Dec. 18 51-37 as part of a nine-game win streak to start the season. That was the Rockets’ first victory over the Wamps since Feb. 3, 2023, when Needham won 27-23 at home. That season was the last season the Rockets swept the Wamps, also winning 47-33 at Braintree on Jan. 6, 2023. The two rivals played three games a year ago, with Braintree taking both regular season games — 36-32 on Dec. 19, 2024 at the A Gym and 48-46 at home on Feb. 7, 2025 — as well as 52-47 on March 4, 2025 in a playoff game at Braintree.
The Wamps (11-4), ranked #11, came into the matchup at the A Gym winners of five of their last six games, their most recent wins at Weymouth and at home against Wellesley. Needham (12-3) had struggled through a stretch where they lost three of four games and struggled to score points, but responded with a 73-30 win over Weymouth on Jan. 30 and a 70-23 win over Framingham on Feb. 3.
The Rockets also played without senior captain Eva Andrews in the Framingham game, after she was hit in the eye early in the third quarter against Weymouth. Against Braintree, the Bowdoin College-bound Andrews struggled to score inside, as she was held to seven points and six rebounds, though she did block five shots and added two steals.
Both teams started off strong offensively, with Needham going up 19-14 at the end of the first quarter. Senior captain Hannah Levine scored two baskets and added three free throws to finish the quarter with seven points. She added a three-pointer in the second quarter to tie for the game high at the half, scoring 10 points.
Another senior captain, Dani Deroian, also had 10 at the half, eight of which came in the second quarter. The Rockets took that quarter by a slight margin, 12-11, as they led 31-25 at halftime. Braintree junior Kate Sweeney scored five points in the second, tying Francesca Mazzini with a team-high seven points at halftime.
Each team shot well from the three-point line in the first half, with the Rockets hitting 5-of-10 and the Wamps 4-of-9. But the two rivals would only hit one more from downtown in the second half, Braintree finishing 5-of-17 and Needham 6-of-21.
The Wamps also helped themselves at the free throw line, sinking 9-of-10 in the fourth quarter and 12-of-15 for the game. Needham struggled, hitting just 6-of-11 from the stripe, but only went to the line on one occasion the entire second half, missing on two attempts.
Braintree junior Eva Downing tied for the game high with 17 points, seven of which came in the fourth quarter. Levine tied her, scoring a Needham high 17, including all of the Rockets’ points in the fourth, with seven. She also added five rebounds. Mazzini was second in points for the Wamps with 12, while Sweeney added 10.
Deroian added eight rebounds and four steals to go along with her 10 points, while junior Lacey Williams had five points and five rebounds.
Needham will next play Tuesday, Feb. 10 at Walpole, who they narrowly defeated 59-56 at home on Dec. 23, then close out their regular season home schedule on Thursday, Feb. 12 against Cathedral. Braintree will play their final regular season home game on Tuesday the 10th against Milton.
