From aspirations to milestones: Saugus girls basketball’s journey forward

By Dom Nicastro

First-year head coaches often find themselves facing a steep learning curve, tasked with not only crafting a winning strategy but also fostering team spirit and individual talent. Such was the case for the Saugus High School girls basketball team, under the fresh leadership of new head coach Joe Lowe, who embarked on a journey filled with aspirations, challenges and significant milestones.

As the season unfolded, the initial goals were set high: to clinch the league title and secure a home game in the playoffs. Check and check.

Saugus won the Northeastern Conference, finished with a regular-season record of 13-7 and beat North High of Worcester, 58-12, at home in the opening round of the Division 3 North state tourney.

Despite falling short, 60-34, in the next round of the single-elimination against a formidable opponent, Dover-Sherborn, the team’s tenacity and hard work were unmistakable, marking a promising start to Lowe’s tenure.

Saugus this winter broke through a long-standing postseason drought, securing its first tournament game victory in recent years — a testament to the team’s grit and determination. This landmark win not only elevated the team’s morale but also signified a pivotal moment for the program, suggesting a bright future ahead.

Key players like Peyton DiBiasio and Ella Castle emerged as standout postseason performers, exemplifying the fruits of focused player development and a culture of encouragement and hard work instilled by their coach.

  “Our goal was to win the league and make the playoffs with a home game,” Lowe said.   “I feel the team did work hard towards that goal although we ultimately fell short losing to Dover-Sherborn and making a run.”

Lowe and the Sachems are hungry for more. Saugus has been pretty successful with wins in the last six or seven years, the coach said.

However, he thinks the team needs to “not take a year off and get back here next year to string together multiple years and try to parlay it into a run next year.”

Saugus had multiple contributors this year, and that seems to be a formula they want to stick with: team first.

“I tried to encourage all the girls on the team to be aggressive and take shots that work for them in the flow of our offense,” Lowe said. “Ultimately their skill is really a result of what they do in the offseason and makes it a lot easier on me. Always the talent, not the coach.”

Saugus will naturally miss its tremendous seniors: Juliana Powers, Ashleen Escobar, Madi Femino, Devany Millerick, Jessica Bremberg, Ashleigh Moore, Amelia Pappagallo and Ana Silva.

Saugus made a huge leap with the tournament win. What’s going to get the program to the next level of making a deep tourney run in a competitive Division 3 landscape?

“I got the job late last year,” Lowe said. “Our plan is to pick up right after April break with weightlifting and open gyms. We have skill but being undersized we need to be stronger and faster to be able to compete.”

As for challenges in his first year, Lowe said the biggest challenge was the schedule the last couple of weeks.

“We had two games get postponed and were forced to be put on back-to-backs for league games with three in a week,” Lowe said. “It is really hard to have three in a week and not be able to practice like you need to with the intensity and focus. I felt we missed out on the reps we needed to get to be able to work on some things defensively.”

Lowe said he’s very proud of the work his assistants did. Norma Waggett, a 1,000-point scorer in high school and at Salem State University, did a great job with the junior varsity as the JV team came a long way and got better each time, “which is all I want to see regardless of results,” Lowe said. “Coach Chris Brablc was great on the bench and stepped up with some great scouting reports as well as his great team-building exercises he always puts on.”

Reflecting on his first year as head coach, how has the community’s support impacted the team’s performance and morale, especially during crucial games like the tournament victory?

“I am so appreciative of the community for how they showed up to our home game but even more so all the people who took the time to travel to Dover-Sherborn,” Lowe said.   “We had just as many if not more fans than the home team. Our student section showed up and gave the girls a good crowd.”