SAUGUS — When the clock struck its zeros at Saugus High on Wednesday, the Lynn Classical girls basketball team screamed and ran to its coach, Tom Sawyer, surrounding him as the Lady Rams celebrated a remarkable achievement.
Classical completed its regular season with a 48-42 victory against Saugus to finish 20-0.
When taking pictures with his team after the win, a fan said congratulations to Sawyer, who immediately deflected the comment and said, “it’s all on the girls.”
When asked if he thought this was possible prior to the season, Sawyer began to tear up.
“You’re crazy, honestly, crazy,” Sawyer said.
That crazy thought is now a reality. The game was a back-and-forth affair with each team fighting hard for points. But when things came down to the wire, the Rams were determined to make sure they finished their season perfect.
“We knew coming into the game today that this was a challenge, and I asked the kids to rise to the challenge, and they did,” Sawyer said. “We beat a quality opponent; they’re a very good team.”
The game was tied at 38 late in the fourth, and that’s when senior guard Lauren Hennessey (12 points) stepped up for the visitors. Hennessey hit back-to-back three-pointers to put the Lady Rams ahead 44-40 with just 1:30 remaining.
“She’s a really good shooter,” Sawyer said. “This is not the first game where she hit a big shot in the fourth quarter when we needed one to get over the hump. That is what she did for us today.”
Classical ended the quarter on a 12-4 run, largely in part to its rebounding and second-chance opportunities from senior Akiyah Brown (six points). Brown battled for every offensive rebound, and more times than not, won them.
“I like how she rose to the challenge,” Sawyer said. “We thought we had an advantage on the block today and we asked her to take advantage of that, and she rose to the challenge.”
Classical’s Ava Thurman (seven points) scored a layup late to seal the deal on not just a perfect season, but 200 career wins for Sawyer.
The Sachems kept fighting throughout the game, despite trailing by double-digits at one point. Peyton DiBiasio led the Sachems with 14 points while Ashleen Escobar chipped in with 11.
“We played them tougher today than we did the other day,” Saugus head coach Mark Schruender said. “Give them credit, they’re a great team.”
He was also impressed with Jessica Bremberg, Ashleigh Moore, and Devany Millerick for how they competed.
“I give credit to our forwards,” Schruender said. “I think we did a better job defending them tonight.”
With tournament action just around the corner, Sawyer said he wants his team to be “the best version” of itself.
“The way the system is set up, we’re going to be on the road. If someone beats us, it’s because they earned it and we didn’t give it to them,” Sawyer said. “If we do that, then whatever the results are, the results are.”
