THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, JAnUAry 30, 2026 Page 7 Defense, resilience fuel Saugus boys’ basketball’s push toward the postseason By Dom Nicastro T he Saugus High School Sachems boys’ basketball team has spent much of the winter navigating one of the Northeastern Conference’s most unforgiving stretches. Lopsided losses, elite opponents, and a compressed schedule have tested the Sachems’ depth and resolve. What has not wavered, however, is their response. That was on full display in a 59–40 win over Salem Academy, a result that head coach Joe Bertrand said reflected both urgency and growth after a bruising run against league heavyweights. “We played great,” Bertrand said. “The way we just responded after that stretch was just promising. We showed no quit. We were ready to play. The kids were excited. We just played hard.” The Salem Academy win EXTRAORDINARY | FROM PAGE 5 dents: We have a parking ban overnight in the winter, every night, whether there is snow or not. I don’t think people realize that we enforce that. When we have snowstorms, it’s particularly an issue,” he said. Motor vehicles must be moved from streets in order for the Town to have roadways cleared, plowed, salted and sanded for public safety and emergency vehicle access. Any vehicles remaining on the streets may be ticketed and towed, Crabtree’s office warned in a press release last week. Limited parking is available in the Saugus Middle/High School upper lot, located at 1 Pearce Memorial Dr. The lot designated for emergency overflow parking is known as the “Upper Lot on Left” as you drive down Pearce Mecame after losses to Salem and Beverly — including a 119–39 defeat to Beverly — games that highlighted the fine margin for error against the NEC’s elite. “Both teams just play really fast. They’re strong, and you just can’t make any mistakes to beat those teams,” Bertrand said. “Every possession has to matter. From the start of the game to the end.” Against Salem Academy, Saugus flipped that script. Ryan Shea led the way with 20 points, scoring in transition and knocking down shots from deep. “A few threes, two baskets in transition,” Bertrand said. “He played really well.” Oliver Hernandez added 10 points, continuing to carve out a larger role in the rotation. “He transferred to Saugus from Revere at the beginning of the year, so I didn’t know him really well,” Bertrand said. “He’s very new to the program. He’s only a junior, and he’s starting to make his mark in the second half of the season.” Bertrand described Hernandez as a versatile perimeter threat. “Kind of like a catch-andshoot guy,” he said. “Like a small forward.” Jayden Le chipped in nine points, while Jordan Rodriguez added eight as the Sachems spread the scoring load. The losses to Salem and Beverly were difficult — especially the offensive avalanche Beverly produced — but Bertrand said those games have sharpened his team’s understanding of what high-level execution demands. “They really did not miss many jump shots,” Bertrand said of Beverly. “You’ve got to give them credit.” While neither team relied heavily on full-court pressure, the pace and physicality exposed mistakes quickly. “The defense is just in your face,” Bertrand said. “Transition points, and they just knock down a lot of jump shots.” Bertrand believes those experiences will pay dividends later. “I don’t know that we’ll play teams as good as Beverly or Salem in Division 3,” he said. After the Salem Academy win, Saugus stood at 4–7, hovering near the postseason cutoff. Power rankings have kept the Sachems within striking distance, even as the record lagged. “Playing Beverly and Salem has kind of improved our power,” Bertrand said. “We’re up to 37, so we’re right there at that 32 line.” Bertrand said the path forward is clear — and demanding. “We were 3–7 the first half,” he said. “We’ve got to go 7–3 on the back half to make it.” The Sachems are already 1-0 on the back 10 games. The focus, he added, is on execution and belief rather than math. “We know we need a big second half to make the tournament, and that started on Friday,” Bertrand said. Weather disruptions and cancellations have complicated the schedule, but Saugus continues to look for momentum as February approaches, with upcoming games against Danvers and Mystic Valley. “At this point in the season, we’ll execute a little bit better on offense,” Bertrand said. “Hopefully that comes through for us.” For a team forged in one of the NEC’s toughest stretches, the message remains consistent — compete, defend, and let the lessons carry forward. “We’ve got to play really hard as a team,” Bertrand said. “And see what happens.” Shown from left to right: Stefano’s Landscaping snow laborers Guerlin Nuńez, Isaias Gonzalez, Derek Linnens and Brian Harris were out for 22 hours when they took a break on Monday. (Saugus Advocate photo by Tara Vocino) morial Drive. Additional offstreet parking is available at the Anna Parker Playground parking lot, located behind the Essex Street Fire Station at 120 Essex St. Crabtree said his administration is interested in hearing from residents about concerns related to the town’s snow cleanup. “The town and DPW, building maintenance and public safety are out and continue to be out, handling complaints on different issues that are alerted to them,” Crabtree said. “If you have issues, just let Children enjoyed Monday’s winter storm with sledding along Hurd Avenue, and cleanup efforts were underway on Monday morning. From left to right are Saugus Middle School sixth graders Eva Colaianni, Emma Le, and Gabriella Bogdanski. (Advocate photos by Tara Vocino) us know. Contact the DPW. We will continue to look at the issues that have been raised,” he said. But Crabtree said he appreciates residents’ patience, as the work crews continue to work on the roads in the storm’s aftermath. “This will continue for the next week, at least, every day, trying to widen things [roads] and open intersections up,” the town manager said. EXTRAORDINARY | SEE PAGE 8
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