Needham Boys Basketball Outlasts Walpole on Senior Night
February 13, 2026
• After finishing last year 11-11, the Rockets are 16-2 with just two regular season games remaining.
On a night full of celebration and milestones, Needham boys basketball beat Walpole 80-72 in a high-scoring clash with several lead changes.
The Rockets celebrated the 10 seniors on the team with a pregame ceremony, honoring the players and their families for their contributions to the program. On the other side, senior Ryan McDonald of Walpole entered the game just 16 points shy of reaching 1,000 in his career. He surpassed that mark with 4:20 remaining in the second quarter, and led all scorers with 27 points on the night.
Needham, who came into the game ranked third in the MIAA Division One Power Rankings, got off to a hot start with a three-pointer from Andrew Chen. Foster Wilinski added another triple a minute later, giving the Rockets a 6-2 just over a minute into the game. Needham held a slim lead for the entire quarter and pushed that lead to seven with a late basket from Ben Marino.
Walpole opened the second quarter with a 10-1 run, fueled by two threes from McDonald to take their first lead of the game, 24-22. The teams traded buckets until the 4:20 mark, when McDonald hit a fadeaway jumper to reach 1,001 in his career. There was a brief stoppage as he was presented with a banner and took photos with his family before the game resumed.
Chen responded out of the break with a three-pointer to tie the game at 32. The Rockets found themselves down 41-37 with four seconds remaining in the half, but McDonald was given a technical foul after being called for a charge. Chen sank both free throws to make it a two-point game and Wilinski hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to give Needham a one-point lead heading into halftime.
Thomas Jolly put the Timberwolves back up by one with a three-pointer early in the third, but the Rockets responded with four straight points to retake the lead. Jolly sank another three shortly after to tie the game at 50. And after more back-and-forth play, Needham took a 56-54 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Rockets opened the fourth with a 6-1 run until Walpole hit a three to stop their momentum. But, the Timberwolves struggled to close the gap and Needham led 68-60 with 3:43 left to play. The Rockets controlled the game from that point, sealing the 80-72 victory.
Wilinski and Cloonan led the Rockets with 17 points each, while Chen added 15. It was a quieter night for Needham from three, as they shot 7-of-28 (25%). But, they produced their second-highest point total of the season, only trailing their game against Weymouth two weeks ago.
The No. 3 Rockets dropped their next game to No. 6 BC High, 63-51 on Thursday, Feb. 12. With the loss, Needham sits at 16-2 on the season and is ranked sixth in the MIAA Division One Power Rankings with just two games regular season games remaining. They go on the road to face No. 7 Malden Catholic on Saturday, Feb. 14, and will wrap up their regular season at home against Gloucester, who is ranked 53rd in division three.
