WEST ROXBURY — In need of senior leadership, Catholic Memorial received it from Ryan Higgins.
Higgins scored 27 points, including sinking six three-pointers, to lead the No. 2 Catholic Memorial boys basketball team past No. 15 Needham, 81-64, on Tuesday night in front of a sold out crowd at Ronald Perry Gymnasium.
The Knights (18-4) will play No. 10 Lawrence in the Division 1 state quarterfinals this weekend.
“Senior leadership from Ryan Higgins,” Catholic Memorial coach Denis Tobin said. “He is one of the best shooters in the state. The shots he made were not easy. He was guarded heavily but to his credit he made them.”
Knights freshman guard Aiden Pires added 18 points for the Knights. Needham senior Brian Cloonan led the Rockets with 20 points.
With freshman star Josiah Adamson mired in foul trouble throughout much of the first half, his co-Catholic Conference MVP stepped up. Higgins drained three triples while Pires added nine points to help give the Knights a 36-30 lead at the half.
Catholic Memorial’s lead exploded to 17 points early in the third quarter with Higgins, Pires and Adamson all hitting three-pointers. Devin Dellamarggio scored five points to keep the Rockets within striking distance but Higgins tipped home a second chance at the buzzer to give the Knights a 58-43 lead going into the final quarter.
“When we’re playing our best, especially offensively, we’re really hard to stop,” Higgins said. “Scoring or not scoring it doesn’t matter, it’s a blast to be out there.”
The Rockets turned to their full court pressure in the final stanza and it paid dividends as Campbell Keyes and Jackson Shaw each came through with steals and scores to cut the deficit to eight with 4:30 left. Adamson, however, buried a three-pointer and Higgins completed a four-point play for a second straight game to put CM up 15 and quell hopes of a Needham comeback.
“Lawrence will be one heck of a game,” Tobin said. “I have watched them a couple times. They want to play faster than we do, which is saying something, so that will be interesting.”
