No. 22 Saugus faced No. 11 Archbishop Williams Friday afternoon in the Division III state tournament, falling short 52-44 in the round of 32.

Nevertheless, what a season it was for the 13-8 Sachems. Even their last game was hard-fought and down to the wire.

“Our players worked so hard [and] they were prepared for this moment,” Saugus head coach Mark Schruender said. “They didn’t back down one inch; I thought they played so tough.” 

Despite being the underdog on paper, Saugus didn’t play like it. One player who left everything on the floor was junior Ashleen Escobar. Escobar made it her mission to rally her team late, scoring seven of her 12 points in the fourth quarter. 

“She’s so loose. She doesn’t care about the consequences of her actions [and] she’s so aggressive,” Schruender said. “She plays without any fear… she’s just a kid who is not afraid of any matchup.” 

Escobar attacked the rim at will on Friday, but unfortunately, fouled out with around two minutes remaining.

Despite it, the Sachems turned to Ashleigh Moore who scored a team-high 19 points (5 three-pointers).

Whenever the Bishops made a run, Moore stepped up and answered. With the home crowd going wild after an Archbishop Williams three, Moore got the ball in the corner and hit a step-back three to tie the game late (44-44). 

“She’s a shooter and shooters shoot. But besides that, she’s an incredible leader,” Schruender said. “You lead by example sometimes, and that’s what she did. I thought she played fantastic.” 

Archbishop Williams took advantage of its height advantage down the stretch, scoring consecutive baskets in the post to stretch the lead to four (48-44) with one minute remaining.

And after a missed three from Saugus, the Bishops responded with two free throws to ice the game.

“Credit to Archbishop Williams,” Schruender said. “They’re a great team.”

Although the season may be over for the Sachems, a bright future awaits as Saugus returns all of its players next season.

Leading scorers (Saugus)

Moore: 19

Escobar: 12

Peyton DiBiasio: 10

Jessica Bremberg: 2

Devany Millerick: 2