After finishing last year 11-11 and cracking the state tournament for the fifth time in the past six seasons, the Sachems said farewell to the Cape Ann League and now return to the Northeastern Conference after a one-year absence.
?It?s a tough conference,” said sixth-year Sachems coach Paul Moran. “We?re really young, so that makes it difficult for us, but I couldn?t be any happier. I love playing against these schools. We?ll do our best and compete.”
Moran?s squad, led by four senior captains in Justin Winn, Dan Cacciola, Lamarr Jones, and Steven Whitehurst, opens the season at Marblehead on Tuesday. Saugus returns three starters from last year?s tournament team in Winn, Cacciola, and junior Kyle Autilio.
?Ever since we entered the school, the basketball team has made the tournament every year,” said Cacciola, who is one of the team?s best athletes as a three-sport standout in football, baseball, and basketball. “We want to keep that streak going.”
Moran has preached all preseason that the only way his team will earn another playoff bid is through their effort on the defensive end of the basketball court. Defense, he stressed, needs to be the Sachems? calling card.
?We?ve got to play defense,” he said. “We?ve never been able to get to a high score of 70-80 points. We can?t beat teams 85-80, so we?ve got to play a much different style.”
Moran hasn?t received any argument from his players, as the Sachems are proud to be a defensive team that can also score.
?We?ve definitely got to play hard defense,” said the 6-feet-5, 270-pound Whitehurst, who will fill the paint for the Sachems. “The city teams like to speed up the games, but we just need to slow them down. We need to limit our turnovers, create some turnovers from the other team, and control the game.”
Saugus will have its hands full all season with NEC mainstays like Lynn English, Lynn Classical, Danvers and Salem. Even with the loaded schedule, a real strength for the Sachems remains their ability to wreak havoc by exposing the opposition?s lack of second and third options in their offensive sets. Saugus traps exceptionally well on defense and Moran has his club well-schooled in finishing on the fast break.
?We like to play the passing lanes,” added Jones, who will be called on by Moran to defend some of the top players in the conference at the wing position. “We have some pretty quick guards and we play the passing lanes pretty well. We?re very athletic, so we get a lot of steals and good finishes. But this is the NEC, so you?ve got to come ready to play every day. Every team is pretty talented, so you?ve got to play every your best every day.”
In addition to the four senior captains, the Sachems roster is filled out by seniors Henley Celestin, Jay Cub Lever, Alex Pettenati, Ronnie Rajeh and Tyler Serino. The junior class includes Autilio, Dan Bertrand, Evan DeCristoforo and David Rowinsky, along with three sophomores in Devon Lee, Nicholas Rusconi and Cameron Williamson. Saugus knows it will need depth to compete.
?We were in the Cape Ann League last year, and that?s really nothing compared to the basketball in the NEC,” said Cacciola. “We have to limit our mistakes to beat the teams in the NEC. You can?t get away with mistakes in this league. We need to be technically sound throughout the whole season.”
Saugus is not predicted to win the conference, but the Sachems plan on surprising a lot of teams who overlook those trips off Route 1 to Pierce Memorial Drive.
?The kids take a lot of pride in playing for Saugus,” said Moran. “It?s a great bunch of kids, and they fight for each other. It?s going to be a tough year for us, but we?re here, we?re ready, and we?ll compete.”