Girls Basketball Wins on the Road, Boys Fall in Quadruple Overtime

March 6, 2026
• The girls advanced to the quarterfinals since 2021, while the boys season came to an end. 

Needham girls basketball came from behind in the fourth quarter to defeat Woburn 54-46 on the road in the Round of 16 on Tuesday, March 3. The following night, boys basketball was upset by Bishop Feehan, 94-87, in quadruple overtime.

The girls were anchored by their defense yet again, while Shamrock star Brody Bumila, who scored 49 points, proved to be too much for the Needham boys to handle.

In the girls game, Woburn got off to a hot start, hitting two quick three point shots to go up 6-0. The Rockets turned the ball over four times in the quarter and shot just 2-of-7 from three point range, but trailed just 11-10 heading into the second. Hannah Levine and Aislin Flaherty each scored five points for Needham in the quarter.

But, the second quarter was a different story, as the Rockets outscored Woburn 16-8 to take a 26-19 lead into halftime. A 7-0 run in the final 1:51 of the second and Eva Andrews’ offense fueled the quarter. Andrews scored eight of her 16 points in the second, while Lila Jantzen nailed a three with about 2 seconds left.

The Tanners took a 40-36 lead after a pretty evenly matched third quarter. Needham struggled early, not scoring until the 4:40 mark when Lacey Williams sank two free throws. The Rockets were 4-of-4 from the free throw line in the quarter, but 0-of-6 from three point range. 

Despite being down to start the final quarter, Needham outscored Woburn 18-6 in the fourth to secure the 54-46 win. Williams was dominant in the fourth for the Rockets, scoring eight of the 18 points, while Andrews added another six points to her total. 

Needham finished 5-of-21 (23.8%) from behind the arc and 9-of-15 (60%) from the free throw line. But, they turned the ball over 13 times, while only forcing nine turnovers from Woburn. 

With the win, Needham (16-6) advances to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2021. They will go on the road to face top-ranked Springfield Central (19-4) on Saturday, March 7, at 1 p.m.

On Wednesday, March 4, the No.3 ranked Needham boys hosted No. 14 Bishop Feehan for their Round of 16 game. The Shamrocks defeated No. 19 Acton Boxborough 85-67 in their first round game a week before, while the Rockets beat No. 30 Barnstable 69-59.

Bishop Feehan got off to a strong start, taking an 8-3 lead which forced Needham to take a timeout just over two minutes into the game. The Rockets struggled inside, and trailed 20-12 heading into the second quarter. All 12 of those points came from three-pointers, and Ben Marino led Needham with nine points in the quarter.

The Rockets exploded offensively in the second and outscored the Shamrocks 22-6 to take a 34-26 lead into halftime. Matt Cloonan led the charge in the quarter with eight points, while Luca Varano scored five of his 13 total points. Needham’s defense played exceptionally well in the quarter, holding Bumila to just two points and forcing eight turnovers.

Needham maintained that lead in the third and entered the fourth quarter up 50-42. The three-point shooting started to cool off for the Rockets who were 8-of-17 (47.1%) in the first half and just 2-of-7 (28.6%) in the third quarter. Bumila scored 12 of the Shamrocks’ 16 points in the quarter, while Cloonan led Needham with nine.

The Rockets were up 61-56 with 1:50 to play, but Lucas McNally hit a three to make it a two point game. Then, with 31 seconds left, Bumila tied the game at 61 with a dunk. The Shamrocks outscored Needham 19-11 in the quarter to force overtime.

The first overtime period went back and forth, with each time scoring seven points to tie the game at 68. Needham led by two with just six seconds remaining in the second overtime, but Bishop Feehan drew up a great out of bounds play and Bumila scored to tie the game at 76.

Needham trailed Bishop Feehan 82-80 late in the third overtime period, but Marino grabbed a steal and was fouled as he went to the basket. He sank both free throws for the Rockets to force the fourth and final overtime. The Rockets struggled to hit shots in that period, while Bumila continued to dominate, scoring eight of the Shamrocks’ 12 points. Needham was outscored 12-5 in the period, and suffered a heartbreaking 94-87 loss in quadruple overtime.

Cloonan led the Rockets with 33 points, while Marino added 22. McNally scored 18 for the Shamrocks, second only to Bumila’s 49.

The loss ends the Rockets’ season with a 19-3 record. Bishop Feehan will go on the road to face No. 6 Bridgwater Raynham in the quarterfinals on Friday, March 6, at 7:30 p.m.

Mike Levin has the highlights from these games in the video box below:

The highlights above ran as part of the Needham Channel News, a weekly newscast airing on The Needham Channel every Thursday at 7:30pm. The Needham Channel News can be found on the Community Channel: Comcast 9, Astound 15 and Verizon 29. Most Thursdays it also can be viewed on our HD Channel on Verizon 2129, Astound 613 and streaming on this site.