By Avonlea Cummings
Hometown Weekly Sports Reporter
The tenth-seeded Needham Lady Rockets took charge of their first playoff game against 23rd-seeded Shrewsbury on Thursday, February 29 securing them the next round of the post-season. The Rockets battled away throughout the four quarters of the competition and came out on top 51-34. Annie Camozzi finished the night with 13 individual points to add to Needham’s final tally. Alongside Camozzi, Hannah Levine led the team with 17 individual points, and Eva Andrews drew up 6 points herself.
The first quarter was neck and neck, both teams brought the heat looking to light up the scoreboard. In a one-point game with under two minutes to go in the first quarter, Needham was hanging by a thread of taking the lead. Shrewsbury challenged the Rockets' skills in the second quarter, but the Rockets continued to apply their offensive pressure. The Rockets continued to hold their lead but not for long. In the final minute of the game, Shrewsbury would tie the game making two free throws, and only seconds left would they drive to the hoop once more making a three-point basket to snag the lead from Needham’s grasp. The time quickly began to diminish away, however Needham’s senior captain Sophia Kukoleca launched a three-point shot within the final seconds of the half and the ball would swoosh into the night leaving the game null at 20-20.
As the second half began the Rockets started with possession, Needhams Callie McCarthy would break the tied score by banking in two more baskets for the team’s lead. The Rockets bolted down the court and diminished Shrewsbury's offense with a strong defensive stance on the court. By the end of the game, Needham took control over Shrewsbury and polished off the final score 51-34.
Head coach Hannah Carroll shared about the team’s conversation at halftime, as they hopped to take the lead back and control the second half of the game.
“It comes down to the point where we have to put the ball in the basket, we have said it all season to them. Sometimes when they don't have a good shooting night from the outside we struggle to get those points up, and we rely heavily on our defense at that point, that is why it was such a tight game with 20-20 at halftime. I think the big difference maker too was seeing Sophia Kukoleca hit that shot in the first half right at the end. Our conversation at the half was we needed to step up, our defense was solid, we were doing a great job, and, so we had to make it simple on offense, we didn't need anything complex,” said Carroll.
The girls will move on to the sweet sixteen round of playoffs the week of March 5th. To stay up to date with their playoff status check the MIAA tournament brackets at http://miaa.statebrackets.com/tmenu.cfm?tid=7019.
