Girls Hoop: Saugus gets monkey off its back

The monkey is off the back of the Saugus Sachems girls? basketball team. The Sachems hosted Somerville and got their first win of the season, knocking off the Highlanders, 62-44. For coach Mark Schruender, it was time to bust out the symbolism, and his motivational tactics seemed to have worked, as his team got the W.
?It was awesome. I brought a stuffed monkey to the game and told the girls that we needed to get it off our backs,” Schruender said. “They went out and did just that.”
It was slow going for the Sachems, as they struggled to find their rhythm in the first period, dropping the quarter, 10-7, to Somerville. But from there, they slowly battled back, and went into halftime tied with the Highlanders. Following the half, a critical adjustment helped the Sachems take over the ballgame.
?We came out a bit slow in the first quarter but we started generating a lot of good shots and went into halftime tied,” the Saugus coach said. “The key to the second half was our full-court pressure.”
A switch to an up-tempo game on both sides of the ball left Saugus in the drivers? seat. On offense, Schruender got a stellar performance from Olivia Valente, who netted 17 points. Valente and Krissy Italiano were also dominant on the boards, with each grabbing 10 rebounds and finishing with double-doubles.
Following the switch to the full-court press, the Sachems got a tough defensive performance from Kathryn White, which was not lost on Schruender.
?Kathryn White played a fantastic game on the defensive end of the floor, using her quickness to her advantage,” Schruender said.
For Saugus, it is a sigh of relief, with the all-important first win of the season in the history books. The Sachems will look to see if they can make it two in a row on Monday when they travel to Danvers.
BISHOP FENWICK 62, MYSTIC VALLEY 52
The Bishop Fenwick girls? basketball team made sure that Mystic Valley would have to rely on just a few scorers, and the strategy paid off. The Crusaders took the win, 62-52 at Mystic Valley.
Though Mystic Valley’s Meghan Foley lead all scorers with 19, while Jessica Phinney and Menel Lamadzema chipped in 15 and 13, respectively, the Eagles only had one additional scorer, while the Crusaders utilized a balanced offensive approach.
In the first half, the Crusaders had mixed results offensively, getting open looks, but not converting at a rate that satisfied coach Adam DeBaggis. Fortunately for Fenwick, its defensive tenacity was on full display, holding the Eagles to just five points in the second period, giving Fenwick the cushion it needed to switch up its offensive game plan.
At halftime, DeBaggis instructed his guards to get aggressive — and they did, routinely attacking the basket and scoring at will. Fenwick got solid offensive performances from Sydney Brennan, Colleen Corcoran and Sam Mancinelli, each of whom had double-figure point totals. That big third quarter ensured that, despite the best efforts of Mystic Valley’s scoring trio, it would be the Crusaders who left with the win.
Bishop Fenwick improved to 4-2 and next play Tuesday, traveling to Medford.
LYNNFIELD 44, CATHEDRAL 36
When the host Lynnfield Pioneers were able to slow the game down to the pace they were looking to play, they were able to take over, leading to a 44-36 victory over Cathedral. The opening quarter was a struggle for the Pioneers, as Cathedral played a feisty period, outscoring Lynnfield, 12-5. Lynnfield coach Bob Melillo knew what his team needed to do to get back in it.
?We just tried to slow it down,” Melillo said. “They really like to press, and they did in the first. Once we slowed it down, we were able to control the tempo.”
Emma Mancini was prolific on offense for the Pioneers, scoring a game-high 25 points, while also hauling in a game-high 13 rebounds. Mancini has been an impact player on offense all season for Melillo, and as the coach has noted, she can often take over games.
Meanwhile, Melillo got stout team defense