THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, FEbrUAry 17, 2023 Page 9 Sachem boys drop two hard-fought league games By Greg Phipps D espite falling short in their last two Northeastern Conference games, the Saugus High School boys’ basketball team is looking like it will be a formidable foe in this year’s playoff tournament. The Sachems staged a spirited comeback before losing in overtime by an 83-82 margin at Danvers last Thursday and battled a tough Peabody team on Tuesday night at home before succumbing, 65-53. The defeats left the Sachems at 12-7 overall with one regular-season game remaining. Saugus plays at Triton Friday night and then prepares for this year’s playoff tournament. Tuesday’s Senior Night loss to the Tanners saw Saugus fall behind by nine in the fi rst half before clawing back to within one on two consecutive three-pointers by Chris Flynn. Peabody ended up taking a 30-24 advantage into the break. The Sachems stayed within striking distance in the second half but couldn’t overtake the visiSaugus senior guard Ben Tapia-Gately tried to battle his way past a Peabody defender on Tuesday. tors, who improved their record to 14-5 overall. For Saugus, Flynn connected for 16 points while Ben Tapia-Gately and Josh Osawe each added 15. “It was a back-and-forth game, and every time we were about to get over the hill Peabody sparked a run of their own,” explained Saugus Head Coach Joe Bertrand. “I’m proud of our team and our seniors. We have been a team that has relentless effort on off ense and defense. We have great senior leadership, specifi cally [from] our captains Max Anajjar and Ben Tapia-Gately.” The team’s fi ve seniors players – Anajjar, Tapia-Gately, Flynn, Osawe and Isaiah Garcia – were recognized before Tuesday’s game. In last Thursday’s loss at Saugus senior Chris Flynn got off a three-point attempt over an outstretched Peabody defender on Tuesday. Saugus senior guard Max Anajjar looked to penetrate to the basket in Tuesday’s game against Peabody. Danvers, the Sachems were behind by a 70-55 margin after three periods. But they fought back and tied the contest on a Cam Soroko basket with 14 seconds to go in regulation. Saugus climbed to a four-point lead early in the extra period before Danvers regained the lead and eventually held on for the victory. The Sachems nearly pulled off the win when a three-point try in the waning seconds of the OT rimmed out. Three players finished with double figures for the Sachems: Tapia Gately’s 18 points, Osawe’s 15 and Garcia’s 13. The COVID-19 Update Town reports 23 newly confi rmed cases; no new deaths By Mark E. Vogler T here were 23 newly confi rmed COVID-19 cases in Saugus over the past week through Wednesday (Feb. 15). The new cases reported by the state Department of Public Health (DPH) over the past week increased the overall total to 10,512 confi rmed cases since the outbreak of the global pandemic in March of 2020, according to Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree. This week’s total was an increase of four over the number of newly confi rmed cases reported last week. There were no new COVID-19-related deaths over the past week, as the death toll remained at 109. “Our hearts and prayers go out to those families affected by this health pandemic,” Crabtree said. WE'RE OPEN! 8 Norwood Street, Everett (617) 387-9810 Saugus senior Josh Osawe begins a drive to the hoop against Peabody. www.eight10barandgrille.com OPEN DAILY FOR DINNER AT 4 PM. CATCH THE CELTICS, BRUINS & NCAA SPORTS ON OUR 6 LARGE SCREEN TV'S! om
10 Publizr Home