THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, MArCH 6, 2026 Page 7 Sachems basketball flips the script, finish 11-10 after midseason surge Saugus boys basketball captains, left to right, Jordan Rodriguez (No. 2), Huey Josama and Ryan Shea (No. 1). By Dom Nicastro T hree wins. That’s where it started. At 3-7 midway through the season, the Saugus High School boys basketball team had a choice: fold or fight. They fought. And went 8-2 over the final 10, including two, four-game winning streaks. The Sachems flipped their season and punched a ticket to the Division 3 North tournament before bowing out to Lowell Catholic, 65-53, in the preliminary round. They finish 11-10 overall — a winning season forged not in comfort, but in urgency. Ryan Dupuy (17 points) and Huey Josama (16) led the team in the postseason game. Cam Conroy chipped in with seven, and senior captain Ryan Shea scored six. “We started the season 3-7 and we knew we needed to come together,” senior captain Jordan Rodriguez said. “We needed to go 7-3 in the back end of the season. At this point of the season we had nothing to lose so we might as well go out there and give it our all, and that’s what we did.” The turning point wasn’t tactical. It was internal. “In any game we played in the second half, we knew as a whole we had to push ourselves to the be the best we can to bring it home with us,” senior captain Josama said. That mindset carried over game after game. The captains elevated their intensity. Role players leaned into responsibilities. The margin for error disappeared — and so did hesitation. Rodriguez described it as something more than strategy. “In the second half we really came together as a team and a family,” he said. “The captains stepped up and so did the rest of the team.” Senior captain Nathan Soroko echoed that same theme. “We came together like a family and with a goal of making the tournament our senior year,” Soroko said. “We decided to leave it all on the court and not go out without a fight. As we wanted to finish our basketball careers off the right way.” This wasn’t a one-star show. What defined this group was acceptance of role. Rodriguez embraced his job description. “I contributed by playing my role,” he said. “I was there to be the spotup shooter and to knock down all my shots. I was also tasked for a couple of games to face-guard one of the two best players on a team.” Soroko carved his impact in the margins. “I felt I individually contributed to BASKETBALL | SEE PAGE 8 Saugus boys basketball captains, left to right, Ryan Shea (No. 1), Huey Josama and Nathan Soroko (No. 4). SPECIAL OFFER Safety. Style. Stress-Free Installation. CALL NOW 1.877.357.6691 FREE Fixtures and FREE Shower Door Add’l terms apply. Offer subject to change and vary by dealer. Cannot be combined with other offers. Expires 3/31/26.
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