SAUGUS — The Saugus boys basketball team picked a great day to earn its first win in its new gym, taking down Northeastern Conference foe Winthrop by a score of 81-45 on Senior Day Saturday afternoon. The Sachems got contributions from every player on the roster, with all 11 players who checked into the game scoring at least three points.
“This was a great game for us on so many levels,” said Joe Bertrand, who is the co-head coach of the Sachems this year alongside Bill Cahill. “We did a great job of playing as a team, sharing the ball and keeping the intensity high the entire way.”
Prior to the game, Saugus honored its group of five seniors — Myles Manalaysay, Mason Nickolas, Kyle McLaughlin, Jason Casaletto and Oliver Dorielan — for their contributions to the program over the past four years.
“I told the guys that as seniors, you always want to leave the program better than when you found it,” said Bertrand. “While that’s tough to do in a season like this, I think the way these guys have persevered through all of this and still come in every day with a positive attitude and a drive to play hard has been huge for this team.”
Manalaysay was the star of the game for Saugus, scoring 24 points to pace the offense. Junior Tyrone Manderson filled the stat sheet with nine points, seven rebounds and six blocks, while Nickolas had eight points and seven rebounds. Junior Donovan Clark scored eight points, while McLaughlin and sophomore Ben Tapia-Gately each scored six points. Casaletto notched five points and five rebounds, while Dorielan scored four points.
For Winthrop, senior Cam Conway led the way with 14 points and six rebounds. Sophomore Zach Bogusz added 10 points and four rebounds, while junior Mikey Chaves scored seven points. Senior Tyler Rockefeller (six points), freshman George Galuris (four points, three rebounds) and junior Chris Cappuccio (three points, four rebounds) also played well in the loss.
Although you wouldn’t know it from the final score, the game was a back-and-forth battle in the opening minutes. After trading blows back and forth over the first several minutes of the game, Saugus eventually pulled ahead by a nine-point margin. By the end of the first quarter, the Sachems were up 22-13.
Saugus’ lead only extended from there. Behind some unbelievable play by Manalaysay and some stout defense across the board, Saugus was able to stretch its lead to as many as 25 points midway through the second quarter. That lead extended to 30 points by halftime, with Saugus leading 49-19.
The huge halftime lead allowed Saugus to get a number of players out on the court, which is important for a team that doesn’t have a ton of playing experience down its bench.
“With everybody getting some time in the game, we were able to give some of our younger guys a chance to step up and show what they’re made of,” said Bertrand. “They all took advantage of that opportunity and really played well out there.”
After taking a 40-point lead into the final quarter, Saugus was able to coast to its first victory of the season.
Winthrop (0-6) plays on the road at Beverly Monday evening (6).
Saugus (1-4) will try to build on Saturday’s momentum when it hosts Peabody Tuesday night (7).
“I think the key for us is just staying confident in ourselves,” said Bertrand. “If we can stay confident, play hard and execute the game plan, I think we’ll be in pretty good shape.”
