Boys Basketball Tames Tigers For Huge Home Win

January 16, 2026

• Needham got revenge for their only loss so far this season.

The 2025-2026 season has been incredible so far for Needham Boys Varsity Basketball, winning nine of their first ten games and being ranked #4 in the latest MIAA Division 1 Power Rankings Friday morning. That night, the Rockets hoped to get revenge for their only loss of the season, which they did, beating Newton North 62-52 at the A Gym.

It was the biggest margin of victory for Needham over Newton North in a home game, since February 28, 2020, the second round of the sectional playoffs, when the Rockets won 59-46. Needham also had wins of 57-45 on February 11, 2020 and 55-46 on January 14, 2023, but each of those two wins came at Newton North.

This season, back on January 6th, Needham had a record of 7-0 as they headed one town over to face their rivals, but the Tigers pounced, beating the Rockets 58-44. Since then, Needham went back to their winning ways, beating Wellesley 64-45 and Milton 80-41, both at the A Gym.

In those two games, the Rockets have shot nearly 39 percent from three point range, including a 10-for-20 game against Milton. Although they’ve struggled from the free throw line, shooting just over 61%, they still averaged 72 points in those two games, giving up just 43.

Needham came into Friday night’s game against the Tigers averaging nearly 66 points a game, while allowing less than 51. The Tigers were averaging 55 points a game, allowing just over 50. But each team struggled out of the gate offensively, with the Tigers taking an 8-4 advantage, similar to the previous week against Wellesley.

But the Rockets stormed back, going on a 10-0 run to take a 16-10 lead at the end of the first quarter. Foster Wilinski led all scores with six points and Caden McNamee hit a buzzer beater to tie Needham’s biggest lead of the game.

Mathaios Stamm tried to help Newton North mount a comeback, as he scored seven of his nine first half points in the second quarter. But Needham spread their offensive wealth, with six different scorers in that second quarter and once again, they hit a buzzer beater.

Before time expired, Brett Stone grabbed an offensive rebound and dished to Ben Villa for one final basket, giving Needham its biggest lead of the game at that point, 31-20. Wilinski led the Rockets with nine points, Matt Cloonan added seven and McNamee had six, along with a couple of steals.

Julian Zakak had seven points at halftime for the Tigers, who failed to hit a single three pointer in the first half. The Rockets had just one themselves, the only points of the game for Ben Marino.

Jake Lyons and Bryson Mercedes finally ended Newton North’s three point drought, with a pair of threes in the third quarter and Stamm added four more points to bring his total to thirteen after three. Wilinski had five more points in the third, to give him fourteen on the game, while Cloonan added six more to up his game total to thirteen.

Needham started the fourth with a 45-32 lead, extending as high as a sixteen point lead. The Rockets struggled at the free throw line, however, hitting just 14-of-21, though they shot better in the fourth, hitting 9-of-12. Cloonan sank 7-of-10 from the charity stripe, while Andrew Chen added 4-of-6.

The Tigers were 10-of-15 from the line, but hit just 6-of-11 in the final quarter. Stamm had eleven points in the fourth, finishing with a game high 24, but it wasn’t enough as Newton North ran out of time for a comeback. Zakak also finished in double figures, with thirteen.

Cloonan finished with a Needham high of 23 points, ten of which came in the fourth quarter. Wilinksi added sixteen, with McNamee finishing with eight and Chen with seven.

The Rockets will be off for a week before heading to Natick on Friday, January 23rd. Newton North also has a week off before hosting Walpole that same night.

You can check out highlights from our game broadcast here, courtesy of our Instagram Channel:

 

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