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By Michael Flanagan
Hometown Weekly Sports Editor
The Needham High School varsity boys basketball team was victorious in their first-round matchup with No. 13 seed Barnstable in the MIAA Division I South State Tournament on Wednesday night, winning by a final count of 68-58 and earning themselves a date with old friend, Newton South, on Friday in round two.
The Rockets (16-4) received the No. 3 seed in the bracket following an extremely successful regular season that saw 2-0 sweeps of both of their Bay State Conference rivals Wellesley and Walpole. However, Needham’s regular season success meant very little when they found themselves down late to the Red Raiders on Wednesday and in need of a comeback just to keep their season alive.
Led by the slick shooting and defensive play of Thomas Shaughnessy (34 points, four assists, five steals) the Rockets were able to jump out to a 27-22 lead midway through the second quarter. Barnstable, however, went on an 11-3 run to close out the first half and entered the break ahead 33-30.
Both the Rockets and Red Raiders traded baskets to begin the third quarter, as Barnstable held onto a 45-41 lead heading into the final minutes of the third frame. However, an offensive rebound and lay-in by junior forward Will Cooper (13 points) with less than 10 seconds remaining tied the game at 45 heading into the final quarter of play.
In the final frame, the Rockets simply took over. Needham forced turnover after turnover in their own end by double-teaming and trapping their opponents from the Cape. The Rockets converted these turnovers into points, going on a 23-13 run to finish the game and pull out a 10-point victory in comeback fashion. Another key to Needham’s late success against Barnstable was their ability to hit free throws, as senior forward Matt McKay (10 points, two blocks) and senior guard Matthew Shaker (five points, four assists, three steals) converted six of their combined eight free throw attempts in the fourth quarter into points to put away Barnstable after the Red Raiders started playing the foul game.
The Rockets carried the momentum from their win over Barnstable on Wednesday into their second-round date with Newton-South on Friday night, as Needham jumped out to a double-digit lead at the end of one (22-11) by spreading the floor and getting the ball to Shaughnessy, who picked apart the Lion defense for eight first quarter points.
Needham continued to thrive in quarter two by playing tight defense and forcing Newton-South to force up tough shots. Thanks to their swift defensive efforts, Needham entered the half up 31-22.
The key point of Friday night’s game, however, was the start of the second half, as Needham went on a 14-3 run to start the third quarter and extend their lead to 20 points at 45-25. After finishing the third quarter ahead comfortably at 49-33, the Rockets put the game away midway through the fourth with two straight three-pointers by Thomas Shaughnessy to make it a 59-40 game. The Rockets would hold on by a score of 68-49, advancing them to Monday’s D1 South Semifinals against Boston College High School.
In Monday night’s contest against BC High, Thomas Shaughnessy again led the way for the Rockets, as Needham upset the No. 2 seeded Eagles 69-66 to advance to play Mansfield in Sunday’s South Sectional Championship Game. Shaughnessy nabbed 22 points, seven assists, and four rebounds in the winning effort, while Matthew Shaker put up 14 points, and Will Cooper amassed 15 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block.
