SAUGUS— Wins haven’t been easy to come by for the Saugus boys basketball team this season. Monday night against Northeast, however, gave the Sachems a good performance to hang their hats on.
The Sachems shook off a slow start in the first quarter and held off a late Northeast rally in the fourth for a 75-59 win at Saugus High. With the win, Saugus improved to 3-12 on the season.
Christian Correia led the Sachems with 16 points and Vinny Cirame followed with 15. Jake Morgante scored 14 , Mason Nickolas added 13 and Mike Mabee tallied 10.
“This was a game that we had to have if we want to be getting into the tournament,” Saugus coach Mark Bertrand said. “I thought the kids really came together after a slow start. Things have really picked up for us after we’ve put Joseph Lusso in as our starting point guard. I was really happy with our press. We got a lot of baskets off of that.”
Northeast’s Tavon Lashley led all scorers with 20 points.
The first quarter was a period of runs. Northeast got the game started on the right foot with back to back 3-pointers from Tyler Doyle and Patrick Michel for a quick 6-0 lead. Fortunately for Saugus, the Sachems bounced back with a 10-0 run. Lusso and Nickolas knocked in 3-pointers, and a pair of lay-ins to put the Sachems ahead at 10-6. Unfortunately for Saugus, it was Northeast that had the last run of the quarter. The Golden Knights capped the period on an 8-2 spurt to lead 14-12 at the end of quarter No. 1.
The Sachems made adjustments after the first quarter and found their footing in the second. A 2-point deficit turned into an 11-point halftime lead for Saugus.
Saugus got the second quarter started on an 8-0 run, behind a 3-pointer knocked in by Mabee. Three minutes into the period, the Sachems stole the momentum and led 27-14. Save for a 3-pointer and a basket from Doyle, the Golden Knights struggles to put points on the board and trailed 35-24 at recess.
“We put Mason in the corner and we overloaded,” Bertrand said. “Mason hit three 3-pointers in a row. He was catching, shooting and playing tremendous. We put Christian at the foul line and got a lot of good looks.”
The Sachems maintained their double-digit lead through the third quarter. Northeast whittled it down to 10 points early in the period but that’s as close as the Golden Knights could get. Kyle Cocorochio hit a floater with 1:15 on the clock to become the eighth Saugus scorer of the night and give the Sachems a 52-36 advantage. After three, the Sachems led 54-39.
Northeast didn’t go away easy in the fourth. Lashley knocked in three consecutive 3-pointers to slim Saugus’ lead to six at 54-48 with 6:45 to play. It didn’t take long for the Sachems to boost their lead back to double-digits and regain control. Morgante scored eight points in the fourth quarter with crucial buckets in the closing stretch to seal the 75-59 win.
“We knew they were going to make their run in the fourth,” Bertrand said. ‘We knew they had some good players, good shooters. I have to give the kids credit. We called timeout, started executing our plays and that was huge.
“Jake really stepped up,” Bertrand added. “We moved him into the starting lineup eight games ago and he brings a toughness we needed. He’s mentally strong, he’s a leader as a junior and he’s coming around. By far, Jake’s my most improved player.”
Saugus hosts Malden tonight (7).
