THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, March 6, 2020 Page 13 Saugus girls fall in first round By Greg Phipps A s always, the defense was there for the Saugus High School girls’ basketball team. Unfortunately, the Lady Sachems struggled on the offensive end and that led to a 40-32 defeat to a red-hot Newburyport team last Friday night at home in the quarterfinal round of the Div. 2 North playoffs. The third-seeded Lady Sachems received a bye in the opening round and may have been the victim of too much time off after the regular season, as they had difficulty making their shots against sixth-seeded Newburyport. Saugus trailed by three after one quarter and seven at halftime. They managed just nine points in the entire first half but only trailed 16-9 thanks to their stalwart defensive play. “Our defense was solid but our offense was not. At times we were over-dribbling and rushing up tough, contested shots,” said head coach Mark Schruender. “Other times, we got great looks at the hoop but the shots did not fall. The good news was our defense kept us in it, as it had all season. We were holding them to one shot and sometimes no shots by forcing turnovers.” Despite the defensive effort, the Lady Sachems still found themselves behind by a 2715 margin entering the final period. They battled back to within six (scoring 17 points in the fourth quarter, more than the first three periods combined), but it wasn’t enough in the end. “We thought that if we held them in the 30s we Senior Taylor Bogdanski made the all-NEC team in helping the Lady Sachems to a 16-5 finish in 201920. (Advocate Photos by Greg Phipps) would have a shot,” Schruender pointed out. “Were it not for fouling them late to try to get the ball back, we would have held them to that point total in all likelihood.” Newburyport’s defense was part of the problem as well. “They were bigger than us and altered our shots at the rim,” Schruender said. “They also had excellent quickness and discipline with their perimeter defenders. We shot a season low field goal percentage as a result and just couldn’t overcome that to win.” With a 16-5 overall finish, Schruender said, this season established the program’s best winning percentage in the 21st century, and he emphasized that winning is not the top priority for the Saugus program. Growth both on and off the court is the major objective. “We had a group of underclassmen who did everything the right way. They did not play as much as our seniors, but they put the work in at practice and were good teammates all year,” he said. “We have 15 values, which we call our Pyramid of Success. Some of those values include team unity, maximum daily effort, and humility. I am really proud of how our entire roster embraced those values regardless of the outcome of the games.” The six departing seniors (all captains of this year ’s squad) are Taylor Bogdanski, Molly Granara and Kiley Ronan, who have played at the varsity level since their freshmen season, and Shaylin Groark, Jessica Nazzaro and Jill Ricupero, who played varsity since their sophomore years. The Lady Sachems have earned 59 wins over the past four seasons. “More important than the wins are the important relationships these players have forged. Speaking only for myself, I am so thankful for the time that I’ve spent with these players,” Schruender said of this year’s senior contingent. “I had four of them as a teacher in the sixth grade and followed all six of them on their travel team since they were in the sixth grade. I’m sad that I’ll never get to coach them at practice or give them a pregame speech again.” Schruender added that he’ll miss the close bond he made with the graduating seniors. “When you spend so much time with a group, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say they are almost family,” he observed. “I have a deep appreciation for the work they put in and the way they have built our culture to what it is today.” Senior guard Shaylin Groark played her final game in a Saugus uniform last Friday in an opening round loss to Newburyport. Fallon Millerick is one of several solid players returning next season for the Saugus girls.
14 Publizr Home