SAUGUS — The Saugus girls basketball team moved to 9-5 on the year after a 63-50 win over Gloucester.
Saugus led for the majority of the game and whenever Gloucester made a run to cut the deficit, the Sachems had an answer.
“I thought it was a good team win. Everybody contributed today. I thought the last couple of games I went too long on some minutes so I tried to keep everyone fresh. I thought that paid off for us,” Saugus coach Joseph Lowe said. “Every time they were able to chip away at the lead, I thought we had the energy to go and respond. It was a great team win.”
Eight Sachems scored a basket in the win, but it was the hot start from Ella Castle and Peyton DiBiasio that helped Saugus get into a groove early. Castle and DiBiasio combined for 18 of Saugus’ 23 first-quarter points to give them a 23-8 lead.
“Last game Ella hit four threes in the first quarter and it just changed the game for us. When she’s going it allows Peyton space and when Peyton gets going it gives Ella space to get her shot up,” Lowe said. “We’re not huge on sets and we don’t need to be when they’re shooting like that.”
At halftime, Saugus led 32-20. In the second half, DiBiasio started to find her spots on the floor. The junior scored a game-high 25 points and Lowe praised her point guard’s shot selection. Whether it was from beyond the arc, a floater down the lane, or a midrange jump shot, Gloucester had a hard time defending her.
“I thought today was one of her best games in regards to shot selection. She played unbelievable on defense too on the backside against a girl who has five or six inches on her,” Lowe said. “Her decision-making was great today. She made sure to facilitate the basketball and kept everybody involved which allows everyone to get in a flow too.”
Entering the season, Lowe recognized that size could be an issue for his Sachems side. Against Gloucester, the Fishermen had two players who were taller than everyone on Saugus, but that didn’t stop them from competing for every rebound.
Gloucester’s center, Gabriella Martell finished the game with 19 points while junior guard Jordan Purdue-DelTorchio poured in 18 for the Fishermen.
“[Allowing] 50 points is a little high for my liking, but I can live with that when they are scrappy and working as hard as they can. Practices are pretty intense, full court, we just want to maintain the pressure. Size can be a problem, but I was happy with how we competed,” Lowe said.
The Sachems are now one win away from qualifying for the state tournament and will look to do that on Monday when they travel to Winthrop for a 6:30 p.m. game.
