No. 2 Needham girls beat Walpole, move on Div. 1 South semifinals

NEEDHAM — Second-seeded Needham contemplated changing its game plan Saturday when it encountered No. 10 Walpole for a fourth time this season.

But the Rockets stuck with what worked in the past and that meant a heavy dosage of senior guard Kiara McIntyre and junior forward Caroline Klemm.

McIntyre and Klemm were a lethal duo coming off pick-and-rolls as McIntyre netted a game-high 23 points and corralled 12 boards while Klemm recorded 19 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks to power Needham to a 57-47 Division 1 South quarterfinal victory in front of a capacity crowd.

“It’s extremely hard to defend Kiki and Klemm and the ball screen and also defend the shooters on the perimeter,” said Needham coach Amanda Sheehy as the Rockets (20-2) advanced to Tuesday’s semifinal against Newton North. “As often we can get to that ball screen we’re doing it.”

McIntyre carried the offensive load early on by scoring 12 of Needham’s 14 points during a spurt bridging the second and third quarters.

Walpole (14-8) hung tough behind Sydney Scales (16 points), and a 3-pointer from Brooke Walonis gave the Rebels their only lead of the second half, 26-25, midway through the third quarter. But McIntyre answered with a driving bucket and then found Klemm down low to help Needham retake the lead.

“This was my last home game,” McIntyre said. “I’m putting it all out there.”

Needham put Walpole away in the final minutes as Klemm fed Avery Johnson in the corner for just Needham’s second 3-pointer of the game as part of 9-0 run to go up, 51-41. The Rockets also went 16-of-24 from the free-throw line in the final frame to seal the win.

Klemm didn’t know she would play until just hours before tip-off due to an ankle injury she suffered in the first round, but fought through the ailment to score 11 points in the fourth quarter.

“I was just determined,” Klemm said. “We were not losing.”

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2Vy2hqD