March Madness catches on in Needham

[ccfic caption-text format="plaintext"]

As the NCAA began its yearly basketball tournament, Needhamites were following suit with their own version of March Madness.

On Friday, March 17, members of both the Hillside and Eliot Elementary communities gathered together for one of their most beloved traditions: Hoops in the Heights, the annual Eliot-Hillside basketball game. The event, which pits parents and teachers from each school against one another on the Needham High School hardwood, is a fundraiser to benefit both schools' respective Parent-Teacher Councils (PTC).

This year marked Hoops in the Heights' seventh incarnation, and the event only appears to be strengthening with time.

In addition to the two teams of spirited players who had come to raise money for their respective schools, the student bodies of both Hillside and Eliot played a major role in imbuing the game with a festive vibe. The kids turned up in droves to fervently cheer for their teachers and community members. Some lent their musical abilities to the student band section. Many even took a cue from college basketball diehards by rushing the floor at the end of the game.

The game on the court, as it always seems to, ended in a tie.

For those in the audience - and especially Eliot and Hillside's PTCs - Hoops in the Heights was an impressive victory.