NEEDHAM — Dave Powell’s Needham boys’ volleyball team is no stranger to executing in timely moments.

In Saturday’s South Sectional semifinal against Newton North, Powell’s defending state champion Rockets came out firing from the start, toppling the Tigers in three sets (25-18, 25-17, 25-20) to advance to the South final for the third consecutive year.

After taking the first two sets, Needham was struggling to pull away in the third. Tied, 16-16, the No. 2-seeded Rockets (20-2) reverted to their winning style to close the door No. 3 seeded Newton North.

Sophomore setter Eli Wallace found senior outside hitter Trevor Schofield for a few crowd-pleasing kills, while senior middle Nik Thommes dominated the net with three back-breaking blocks to close the game on a 9-4 run.

“We might have let our guard down a little bit, but I felt like when we had to make plays we did,’’ said Powell.

Schofield continued to be the Rockets’ go-to offensive option, finishing the afternoon with a game-high 14 kills. The captain and his senior-laden crew knew the importance of closing the third set strong without giving a talented Tigers squad any ounce of confidence.

“Coach told us to stay sturdy and rely on ourselves and our confidence,’’ Schofield said. “We got back in and made less errors against a pretty talented team over there.’’

Newton North (14-4) was the last team to beat Needham (3-0 on April 14). Since that setback, the Rockets have won 16 straight.

Saturday’s win was Needham’s 40th straight victory at home.

Points came at a premium for the Tigers against a Rockets squad that rarely commit errors when in rhythm. In the third set with the season on the line, Newton North was empty in key moments.

The Tigers had chances on seven occasions when trailing by one point to tie the game. Newton North could have taken the lead when the Tigers forced a 16-16 tie, but failed to string together consecutive scoring possessions.

“We didn’t mess up much,’’ Powell said. “We tried to make the other team make the errors and thought that happened.’’

Wallace masterfully spread the ball around with a game-high 28 assists. Thommes (eight kills, five blocks) and Brendon Lombardi (five kills, four blocks) commanded the middle.

Tigers junior setter Travis Emenaker registered 26 assists and three kills, while senior Jake Fallon had a team-high 11 kills. Needham will play top-seeded Greater New Bedford in the South final.