Saugus girls grind out win over Beverly

  It wasn’t a thing of beauty, but the Saugus High School girls’ basketball team earned its second victory of the season on Tuesday night at the new Middle-High School Gym. It was Saugus’s second home game of the season, and the Sachems made this one more memorable by grinding out a hard-fought, 35-32 Northeastern Conference win over the Beverly Panthers.

  Like the boys’ team, the girls had not played a game in approximately three weeks due to the recent surge in COVID-19 infections statewide. The last time the Sachems had hit the floor coming into Tuesday’s contest was back on Dec. 22 when they lost at home to Peabody. That was a 21-point defeat.

  On Tuesday, Saugus defense was solid, but the offense struggled. Senior Fallon Millerick stepped up with a strong 13-point effort to provide needed scoring punch when the team really needed it. She was aided by teammate Peyton DiBiasio’s 11 points. Ashleen Escobar netted two clutch hoops in the final minutes to help hold on for the win. Millerick was also big on the boards, as she hauled down 16 rebounds. Head Coach Mark Schruender also credited senior April Aldred with a strong performance on defense.

  Schruender said before the season that his team will likely get its scoring from a variety of players this year. Tuesday’s 13-point effort gave Millerick three double-digit games offensively. The Sachems are also banking on their defense keeping the opponents at bay as the season moves forward.

  Saugus is scheduled to face Medford at home this Friday evening at 5:30. It’s the remake of a postponed game back in December.