By Paul Vozzella
Hometown Weekly Sports Reporter
Rockets boys’ basketball fell short on Friday night as they lost 67-48 against Newton North. The Tigers remain undefeated, pushing Needham back to 3-5.
It took both teams a little bit of time to get going at the beginning of the game, but it was ultimately Newton North who walked to the sideline with a 13-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.
“I think it was just nerves,” head coach Paul Liner attributed to the start. “[It was] the second home game of the season; we’ve been on the road a lot. [We had] new kids in new roles and new places. I think the kids – once we settled in – it seemed like we were getting some stuff we wanted to do.”
The start of the second quarter saw a change on the defensive end for Needham that made an immediate impact. They switched from man to zone defense and forced a turnover on the Tigers’ first offensive possession.
“[We were] just trying to throw off their rhythm a little bit and try something new,” said Liner about the switch up. “It’s something we’ve been working on.”
Still playing from behind, momentum looked like it was about to shift to the Rockets with a three-point shot made by guard Ben Marino and an ensuing charge taken by guard Oliver Pollack; however, a turnover on the next offensive possession halted their progress.
Eventually, Newton North settled in against the zone and were successful on the offensive boards, denying Needham any comeback opportunities. They also forced their fair share of turnovers throughout the night.
“I think it was the physicality that messed us up,” said captain Jeremy Gould. “We just weren’t ready for it and it’s a problem we have to fix. It caught us off guard and we need to do better.”
Liner also put an emphasis on their gritty opponent: “It goes back to that toughness. It’s hard to recreate that in practice. They’re very physical, they’re in the passing lanes and I just thought that caused us trouble tonight. [It’s] something to learn from and grow on.”
Just like the beginning of the game, Needham struggled to get going coming out of halftime. Newton North did not, though, going on an 11-5 run. They kept a steady lead until the final buzzer, handing the Rockets their first loss of the new year.
Needham will now turn their focus to improving on their mishaps before taking on Wellesley.
“Tomorrow we’re gonna get after it in practice – have a tough, intense practice – and come ready to play,” said Gould. “Rivalry game on Tuesday too.”
