Rockets Review: Buzzer Beater over Brookline, Wrestling at BSC Quad

The following was submitted by Needham High Athletics:

Buzzer Beater Propels Boys Basketball over Brookline!

Needing a win to to keep the possibilities of a trip to the postseason alive, the Boys Basketball waited until the final tick of the clock on Tuesday night to take down BSC Carey Division rival, and top-20 Brookline.

Trailing 53-54 with just under 30 seconds left in the game, Needham set up a play for Senior Robbie McKittrick, who got an open look at a 3, but whose shot was just off.  Senior Connor McLeod gathered the long rebound and tossed up what he thought would be the final shot of the game, which was just off target, however, Junior John Madsen found himself all alone under the basket for the rebound, and had just enough time to lay the ball in as time expired for the thrilling 55-54 Rockets win!  

Although the Boys fell to Milton on Friday night, they stand at 5-7 on the season and are looking for strong road performances this week at Norwood on Tuesday and at Framingham on Friday to bring their record even at 7-7 heading into the final 6 games of the year (teams need to finish at .500 to make the MIAA postseason).

The Girls Basketball team, who played in an early season non-league tournament, used two key BSC wins on the week to move their season record to 7-7 (6-4 BSC).  On Tuesday, they beat Brookline by 23 and then got a 9 point win over Milton on Friday.  The girls will play their final two home games of the season this week, hosting Norwood on Tuesday night at 6:30pm and hosting Framingham on Friday night at 6:30pm.  Senior Night ceremonies will be held before the game on Friday while the game will also be a Coaches vs Cancer awareness event

(www.cancer.org/involved/participate/coachesvscancer/index).  Donate just $5 to Coaches vs. Cancer for your chance to win exclusive basketball prizes. Text “COACH” to 20222 or donate online anytime between January 21 and April 9, you’ll be entered for a chance to win exclusive merchandise, VIP courtside packages, 1-on-1 coach experiences and more.

Gymnastics 6-0

Gymnastics used two more BSC wins, over Norwood on Tuesday and Weymouth on Friday, to move to 6-0 on the season.  On Tuesday, the girls will host State power, and undefeated Wellesley, at 4:30pm.  Senior Day ceremonies will be held during the Wellesley meet.  After one day of practice, the girls will travel to Natick on Thursday, before their final meet of the season on 2/5 at Walpole.
Boys Swimming and Diving had a strong week, after beating Newton North in the final event on Monday night, they out-swam non-league Xaverian on Wednesday, 97.5-84, before sweeping the final event of their Senior Night meet vs Wellesley on Friday night to tie the Raiders, 93-93.  On Wednesday and Thursday this week the BSC Championships will be held at Brookline HS before the swimmers and divers move into the Sectionals the next weekend.
Boys Ice Hockey got its third win of the season on Wednesday, as they beat the Milton Wildcats 4-1 at Babson.  The boys have two home games this week, hosting Framingham on Wednesday (8:20pm) and Weymouth on Saturday (8:30pm).  

Needham Reps Recognize Boys Soccer

Also on Wednesday, the Division I State Champion Needham Boys Soccer Team was honored at the Massachusetts State House.  Needham Representative Denise Garlick invited the athletes and coaches to be recognized, and, along with Senator Ross and Senator Rush, not only gave the team a tour of the State House and an impressive history and political lesson, but also brought them in to be acknowledged on the House of Representatives Floor during the open session on Wednesday!

The below photo shows the team and coaches, along with Representative Denise Garlick and Senators Michael Rush and Richard Ross, on the stairs of the State House at the conclusion of their visit on Wednesday.

Indoor Track and Ski Team

On Thursday, the Indoor Track teams took on tough Brookline squads, and while the Needham Girls came away with a win, the Needham Boys came up just short, falling 46-49.  For more information about the Brookline meets and the MSTCA Invite that took place on Saturday, please

visit the NHS Track Blog at http://www.needhamrunning.blogspot.com
While the lack of snow has thrown off the Ski team weekly schedules at Blue Hills, the weekend events at Ragged Mountain (NH) have allowed for valuable time on the slopes for all of the athletes.  While the Girls team finished 2nd at Blue Hills on Wednesday, the Boys team came back on Saturday at Ragged to earn a second place finish of their own.  Junior Captain Emerson Boyd had the best race of his career, finishing 4th out of over 100 other Varsity racers.  Please check www.skieastusa.com for schedule and results information.

The slalom race went well today in frigid conditions. The Needham Varsity Boys finished 2nd and Captain Emerson Boyd ( a junior and 3rd year Varsity racer) , finished 4th out of over 100 other Varsity racers. This was his best race for NHS!
Capping off the week on a high note, the Rockets Wrestlers went 3-0 in the annual BSC quad, as they swept Newton North, Walpole and Milton, at Walpole on Saturday.

Boys Wrestling 3-0 at BSC Quad

1/26 Quad Meet Write-Up Courtesy of Friends of Needham Wrestling:

At the Quad Meet, Needham, without several starters, faced strong challenges from their league rivals, with both the Newton North and Milton matches coming down to the last bouts!

Against Newton North, Senior Captain Islam Baiev (pictured below), Senior Mikhail Khibkin, Senior Aten Miles, Senior Steve Cromp and Freshman Lucas Goldman all pinned their opponents.  Junior Zach Goldman, who went 3-0 on the day, recorded a major decision; Senior Tak Hirayama, also 3-0 on the day, wrestling a weight class up, had a 5-0 decision; and needing to win to secure the team victory, Senior John Cronin beat his Tiger rival, 9-0.

After falling behind early to Milton, The Rockets rebounded, as Junior Lucas Goldman, Zach Goldman, Baiev, Senior Chris Ptak (2-0 on the day), and Cronin all pinned to put the Rockets ahead.  Major decisions from Hirayama and Khibkin, gave Needham crucial team points.  In the last match of the meet, Sophomore Daniel Goldstein faced a top ranked All-State Wrestler and though losing 6-0, his minor decision loss kept the Rockets ahead for the team victory, 38-36.

NHS notched a third close victory of the day against Walpole, 45-31.  In the effort, NHS got victories from Goldstein, Khibkin, Z. Goldman, Baiev, Hirayama, Sophomore Justin Jacobs, Ptak and Cronin.

The Rockets 3-1 week, brings their overall record to 10-5, and their BSC record to 6-3. This week, they will travel to Brookline on Tuesday, and then to the North Andover Elite Invitational on Saturday.

Athletic Events Schedule 1/28-2/3

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