Page 14 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, February 8, 2019 Sachems icemen inching closer to postseason spot By Greg Phipps T hanks to some solid defensive play and sturdy goaltending, the Saugus High School hockey team advanced closer to a spot in the state tournament with a win and a tie in action last week. Goalie Jack Devereaux faced 56 shots combined in the two contests and gave up just one score. In last Wednesday’s 2-0 victory at Medford, Devereaux was airtight, steering away 27 shots and opening the door for his team to come away with a big win. Nick Aiken’s first-period goal off assists from Ronnie Paolo and Lorenzo Keegan turned out to be all the Sachems would need. Adam Rodrigues provided some late-game insurance when he took a feed from Joe Cross and popped home an empty-netter in the final minutes. The win was Saugus’s second straight after suffering four straight defeats. Last Saturday at Kasabuski Memorial Rink, the Sachems could not extend the winning streak but remained unbeaten through three games by playing to a 1-1 tie against the Marblehead Magicians. Prior to the game, Saugus Head Coach Jeff Natalucci told the press that his squad would need to bring its best effort against the Magicians. “We need points here over our last five games, so we have to be ready to go,” he said. Despite being outshot 2918 in the game, Saugus drew first blood when Richie Mauro scored off an assist from Dante McGrane early in the second period. Marblehead evened it late in the second, and that’s how it would remain through the final 15 minutes. The Sachems need four Saugus goalie Jack Devereaux allowed just one tally in the team’s two games last week. One of those contests was a shutout win over Medford. points over their final four contests to make the playoffs. They played always-tough Danvers at Endicott College in Beverly on Wednesday (after press deadline) and host Cambridge Rindge & Latin on Saturday at Kasabuski Rink. Sachem boys can’t close out Highlanders in tough loss By Greg Phipps with a 57-54 triumph. Saugus led 14-11 after one H aving captured their second win of the season two days earlier, the Saugus Sachems made a serious bid for victory number three in boys’ basketball action against the Somerville Highlanders last Thursday at John W. Towers gym. Christian Correia ended up compiling a career-best 32 points, nearly leading the Sachems to the win. But the visiting Highlanders were able to nail two clutch, late-game three-pointers to come away quarter, then fell behind by a 33-26 margin at halftime. With the aid of nine points from Correia, Saugus climbed back to even the contest at 41 apiece entering the fourth period. The teams went back and forth through most of the final period before the Sachems pulled out to a 54-51 advantage in the final minutes. That’s when consecutive treys by Somerville left Saugus looking up at a 57-54 deficit with 1.5 seconds on the clock, not enough time to get off a workable shot. Other key contributors for Saugus were Joe Lusso with nine points and Kenny Okoye with seven. The defeat dropped Saugus’s record to 2-12 overall. The Sachems played at Malden on Tuesday and travel to face Swampscott on Friday. They defeated Medford, 65-62, last Tuesday. After the Somerville loss, Saugus head coach Mark Bertrand was pleased with his team’s resolve and ability to respond, especially coming off the win over Medford two nights before. ”You have to give Somerville credit, they hit two clutch, back-to-back threes but we played hard,” he told the press. “We executed [the way] we had to and I couldn’t be any prouder. For Saugus’s Christian Correia established a career-high in points with 32 in last Thursday’s home loss to Somerville. this young team to get the win the other night and to come back with no letdown tonight, we are really starting to find our stride.” Saugus girls earn playoff bid An across-the-board scoring attack lifted the Saugus girls’ team to a 44-26 win over Malden on Tuesday night. The victory earned the Sachems a place in the state tournament, as they improved their season record to 10-7. Alessia Salzillo collected eight points, followed by Kiley Ronan and Taylor Bogdanski with seven each and Marissa Stockwell with five. Last Thursday, the Sachems grabbed their ninth win by rolling over Somerville, 6433. Twelve players made it into the scoring column for Saugus, which sought win number 11 against Fontbonne Academy on Wednesday (after press deadline).
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