Saugus girls hoop prevails against Classical

SAUGUS ? Saugus’ girls basketball team outlasted Classical 50-43, in a game of drastic momentum shifts and runs.”All of the girls were working hard out there,” Sachems coach Jessica Lucier said. “They were pushing the ball up (the) court very well.”Saugus was the first team to put together a run, and it came out of the gates with all of the momentum. Jackie Strangie was the catalyst early on with her aggressive defense that spearheaded the fast break. She finished the game with seven points, but more importantly, she flooded the passing lanes to help hold the Rams (2-5) to only five first-quarter points.”We started out slow,” Classical coach Tom Sawyer said. “So far, this (a slow start) has been our problem this season. It’s not good to play from behind.”The Rams slowly and methodically climbed their way back into the game. After struggling to get the ball inside in the first quarter, the Rams were able to work the ball into the paint, where Hannah Byrne and Pierina Mora were able to muscle up some hard-fought points. Byrne finished with a team-high 14 points to go along with her eight rebounds. Mora finished with nine points, nine rebounds and four steals.”Pierina may not be the tallest one on the floor,” said Sawyer. “But she plays with intensity and has a knack for getting to the ball.”Classical carried the momentum into the second half and dominated the third quarter. The Sachems could only muster up five points, and lost the lead that they enjoyed since the opening minutes of the game.”We played very well in the third quarter,” said Sawyer. “Frances (Mathieu) definitely played with some intensity. We looked for her to be our catalyst.”Mathieu scored six out of her eight points in the third quarter. All were on the fast break, with the exception of one put-back. She finished the game with seven rebounds.After the lackluster effort of the third quarter, the Sachems grabbed the momentum back in the fourth. Captains Liz Dean and Lauren Garchinsky stepped up their game, and their teammates followed suit.”That’s why they (Dean and Garchinsky) are our captains,” said Lucier.Dean finished with a game-high 15 points, while Garchinsky also landed in double figures with 10 points. Sarah Dean came up with a couple of hard-fought field goals down the stretch to put the game out of reach for Classical.”We made a few mistakes out there, and to their credit, they took advantage of it,” said Sawyer.The win escalates the Sachems to the .500 mark, with a 4-4 record.