TechBoston boys’ basketball coach Johnny Williams told his team this would be “Hell Week,’’ as the fifth-ranked Bears faced powerhouses BC High and O’Bryant before traveling to Needham Friday night.

After edging the first two foes, Tech Boston completed the gauntlet by blitzing fourth-ranked Needham early and surviving a late comeback for a 55-54 nonconference win.

“This is why we only have four home games,’’ said Williams, “Because if you’re going to win a state title, you have to be able to win in hostile environments.’’

Senior forward Walter Dew-Hollis (15 points, 5 rebounds, 5 steals) carried the load with starting point guard Maurice Works and forward Shamar Moore on the bench throughout the third quarter with foul trouble. Moore returned with a huge 3-pointer to give the Bears a 53-46 lead with 3:20 left.

TechBoston (13-0) started the game on an 11-0 run and opened a 32-11 lead with three minutes left in the second quarter, forcing Needham (11-2) into an uncharacteristic 13 turnovers over the first 13 minutes.

“We love to speed teams up and play at an intense pace,’’ Williams said. “We don’t have height, so we have to depend on our speed and our communication.’’

But with Works and Moore out with three fouls apiece, Needham finished the half on an 11-2 run to make the deficit manageable.

Feeding off the energy of their home crowd, the Rockets crept back into the game.

Senior Thomas Shaughnessy (17 points, 4 assists) found his offense and the Rockets won the battle down low with sophomore Will Dorion (13 points), senior Will Cooper (8 points, 3 blocks) and 6-foot-5-inch junior Matt Smith (9 points, 4 offensive rebounds) providing key points in the paint.

Yet every time Needham threatened to snare the momentum, TechBoston responded.

“We had to settle down,’’ Dew-Hollis said. “The crowd’s not with us, it’s just us and our team. We had to be patient and run through our plays and get through it as a team.’’

Smith hit three big free throws to make it 55-54 with 6 seconds remaining, but Needham was unable to get a look on the final play.

With wins over two D1 South contenders in the same week, Tech Boston appears to be the favorite to navigate the D2 South bracket and perhaps beyond.

“We called it hell week and I said if we can make it through this, we’ve got something,’’ said Williams. “And we’ve got something.’’

Pope John 70, Matignon 57 — Angel Price-Espada poured in a game-high 27 points for the host Tigers (14-1).

Lowell 72, Central Catholic 58 — Alex Rivera scored 22 of his game-high 30 points in the first half for the No. 9 Red Raiders (13-1).

Watertown 75, Stoneham 31 — Senior John Korte led the Raiders (10-5) with 25 points.

Medfield 60, Dedham 54 — Jake Dubbs led the Warriors (10-4) to a state tourney berth with 18 points.

Whitman-Hanson 70, Plymouth North 53 — Sean Leahy had 19 points as the Panthers (10-4) qualified for the state tournament.

Franklin 70, Oliver Ames 36 — Chris Edgehill led the No. 3 Panthers (14-1) with 24 points.

Hamilton-Wenham 66, Manchester Essex 58 — Billy Whelan had 15 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists, and 10 steals for the Generals (12-2).

CM 103, Newton South 55 — Anthony Morales had 22 points for the No. 8 Knights (11-4).

Apponequet 77, Greater New Bedford 50 — Clay Meunier had 20 points and 18 rebounds for the Lakers (14-0).

Winthrop 68, Swampscott 46 — Chrono Washington led the Vikings (6-9) with 16 points.

Winchester 73, Lexington 65 — Liam Fitzpatrick scored 23 points as the Sachems (11-5) qualified for the state tournament.

Somerville 65, Saugus 33 — Lucas Saint-Jean scored 17 points for the Highlanders (8-5).

St. Mary’s 55, Cardinal Spellman 52 — The No. 16 Spartans (11-2, 7-0 CCL) clinched their 15th Catholic Central League Large title behind Jalen Echevarra’s 24 points.

Arlington Catholic 54, Archbishop Williams 34 — Jack Connaughton had 17 points and 21 rebounds for the Cougars.

Mystic Valley 68, Greater Lawrence 34 — Joshua Briceus had 21 points and six rebounds for the host Eagles (11-5).

Hingham 66, Duxbury 52 — Freshman Cam Reagan had 13 points for the host Dragons in the loss.

Arlington 60, Reading 52 — James Gascoigne (20 points, 13 rebounds, 5 blocks) led the No. 18 Spy Ponders.

Girls’ basketball

Canton 68, North Attleborough 52 — Hannah Jerrier had a career-high 41-point, 25-rebound night as the Bulldogs (8-7) moved a step closer to their first state tourney appearance in seven years.

Woburn 58, Belmont 55 — Kelsey Qualey hit a corner 3 with 8.5 seconds remaining to lift the host Tanners (11-1).

Nauset 74, Sandwich 38 — Skylar Sanderson (17 points) led the Warriors to their first Atlantic Coast title.

Central Catholic 70, Lowell 51 — Maura Smith had a career-high 29 points for the Raiders (13-2).

Lynn Classical 53, Medford 25 — Paris Wilkey scored 17 points for the Rams (15-1).

Blue Hills 58, Tri-County 32 — Yamelia Medina and Zahria Woodruffe (10 points each) guided the Warriors (14-0).

Marshfield 68, Dennis-Yarmouth 18 — Cassie Caldwell collected 19 points for the Rams (7-5).

Matignon 72, Rockport 34 — Katty Haidul led the Warriors (12-0) with 19 points.

Everett 63, Beverly 58 — Yasmeen Guerrier had her 1,000th point for the Crimson Tide (9-4) defeated.

Pentucket 46, Triton 16 — Sophomore guard Jelly Hurley had 7 points for the Sachems (14-1).

Archbishop Williams 64, Arlington Catholic 42 — Asiah Dingle had 19 points for the No. 3 Bishops (13-1).

Braintree 64, Walpole 37 — The No. 7 Wamps (11-2) were led by Adriana Timberlake’s 14 points.

Girls’ hockey

Nobles 3, Winchendon 1 — Sophomore Katie Armstrong (2 goals) powered the Bulldogs (15-2-2).

For more results, go to bostonglobe.com/schools. To report scores, call 617-929-2860/3235 or email hssports@globe.com.