SAUGUS — The Peabody boys basketball team rallied back from a nine-point deficit Thursday afternoon, taking home a 56-47 win over Northeastern Conference foe Saugus on the road. The Tanners overcame a slow start and chipped away at the deficit, not taking a lead until the third quarter.
“We started off really slow, which is a credit to Saugus and how well they came out,” said Peabody coach Thad Broughton. “We struggled to score in those early minutes, but as the game went on we were able to get to the basket and play some good pressure defense.”
Peabody senior Drew Lucas led the way for the Tanners, notching a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore Shea Lynch was close behind with 13 points and six rebounds, while senior Jose Zaiter and freshman Anthony Forte each finished with nine points and two rebounds. Junior Nick Soper also had a solid game with seven points and three rebounds.
For Saugus, which finished up its season with Thursday’s game, junior Ryan Mabee paced the offense with 14 points. Junior Tyrone Manderson just missed a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds, while senior Kyle McLaughlin had seven points and eight rebounds. Seniors Myles Manalaysay (six points, six rebounds) and Mason Nickolas (five points, nine rebounds) also had solid performances in the loss.
“We came out really strong and played great team basketball,” said Saugus co-head coach Joe Bertrand, who shares the duties with Bill Cahill. “Eventually Peabody was able to put a lot of pressure on us defensively and they just made more plays than we did down the stretch.”
It was the Sachems who started hot in this one, coming out fast and jumping out to a 7-1 lead in the first four minutes of play. Peabody was never quite able to find a rhythm in the first quarter, and Saugus went into the second with a 14-5 lead.
But Peabody righted the ship in the second quarter. The Tanners started to hit shots and their defense improved, and by halftime Peabody only trailed 23-21.
The third quarter was the most back-and-forth, with three ties and four lead changes over the course of the frame. But still, Saugus was able to cling to a 36-35 lead going into the final quarter.
Things remained tight until there were about three minutes to go. After Manderson knocked down a crucial 3-pointer for Saugus to tie the score at 42-42, Peabody came up with three straight possessions where they made a basket, got a steal for another basket and then got a steal to earn two free throws. The Tanners held that lead for the rest of the game, knocking down free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
“The guys had been battling all game long by that point, and they were really rewarded with a couple of big plays down the stretch,” Broughton said. “I think that was the difference in the game.”
“It was the definition of a game of runs,” said Bertrand. “We’d score eight points, then they’d come back with eight, and it was like that the whole game. Unfortunately they were the ones who got the final eight points.”
Saugus finishes the season with a 3-9 record. While it was a challenging season for all teams due to the pandemic, the Sachems also had to deal with the tragic loss of coach Mark Bertrand just weeks before the season started.
“This was such a great group of guys and nothing was easy for them this year,” said Bertrand. “Losing my father was tough because he was our leader, but these guys showed up every day and worked as hard as they could. They were willing to be coached, they improved every day and they were a joy to be with.”
Peabody (7-4) will close out its 2021 season at home against Danvers Sunday morning (11).
“It’s been such a crazy season and we’re just happy to be out here playing,” said Broughton. “We want to end the season on a winning streak, so we’re just going to take the lessons from this game and try to keep the momentum going on Sunday.”
