Needham Drops Hard Fought Battle to Weymouth, 59-53

Basketball is often described as a game of runs, and that was certainly true during last night’s hardwood matchup between the Rockets and the Wildcats of Weymouth.  In fact, the first half of the boys game was a game of quarters with each team dominating one, before Weymouth finally came up with a 59-53 victory.

"It was a good effort from both teams, but we just got outmuscled a little bit at the end," said Shyheim Davis, who lead his team with 18 points.

The Wildcats got up first with an early bucket and Needham (7-7) responded with one of their own.  When Weymouth came back with a 3-pointer, Nick Jacobs put one in for the Rockets to tie the game.  After that, though, the entire quarter belonged the visitors.

Weymouth’s Jon Perez sank two of his five 3-point shots in the quarter as part of a 14-2 point run the Wildcats enjoyed.    It was finally ended when Matt Conroy put one in from the charity stripe, and then Morris Lipman hit a long 2-pointer with only seven seconds left on the clock.  

Heading into the second quarter and down by 13 already, Needham's defense stepped up in a big way and shut down the Wildcats, who had walked all over them in the previous eight minutes.  The Rockets only allowed a single field goal during the quarter, and not until there was 1:31 remaining in the half.  Weymouth was kept alive by the excellent free throw shooting of Damian Lugay, however, who was 5-for-6 in the quarter and 7-for-8 overall.

"We were more aggressive with the ball, started handling the ball a little better," said coach Paul Liner.  "In the second we started getting our groove, started running a little bit, and the transition offense was great for us."

Needham was thus able to close the gap heading into the locker room, but the sins of the first quarter still haunted them and they remained down 30-22 at the half.

Kevin Brennan, who hadn't been a factor in the first half, came alive with the crowd in the second.  Two possessions in a row he saw the ball get stolen and took off down court.  Each time resulted in an unhindered lay up to make it a three point game.  Conroy tied the game from the line, and then Davis finally took the lead after his team needed four second chance shots to get the ball in the net.

Towards the end of the third both teams began playing tighter, and tougher, defense, and it carried through into the fourth.  Weymouth went into the quarter with a three point lead and built it up to as much as eight at times.  After a quick one point lead early on, the Rockets spent most of the quarter losing by at least four.

"It was a lot of mental mistakes," Lipman said.  "Instead of keeping focus a couple times we saw the pressure and the play fell apart."

Down by five and with only 22 seconds remaining on the clock, Jacobs put up a three-point shot from the right hand corner.  It bounced high on the rim before falling neatly through the net, putting the game back in reach for Needham.  After an intentional foul Perez went 2-for-2 from the line with 15 seconds left, sealing the victory for the Wildcats.

“We talked a lot about redemption with the kids after (Needham) beat us in overtime in our gym,” Weymouth coach Jim Dolan said, “and tonight we got it.”

Needham, who had won four of their last five going into the game, now has three conference games remaining in the season.  One additional victory will give them a ticket to the tourney, which they hope to get Tuesday night when they host Braintree.