Sachems look to halt losing skid

  Having lost six straight games after winning six of their first eight, the Saugus High School boys’ basketball team will look to end the recent skid when it takes on Salem on Friday night at the Middle-High School gym. But it will be another tough challenge, as the Witches post a 12-3 overall mark entering Friday’s contest.

  The Sachems came out on the short end in back-to-back games on Tuesday and Wednesday. They first faced the undefeated Beverly Panthers in a home tilt. The Sachems suffered a rough 46-point loss at Beverly last month in their return to action after the three-week COVID layoff. The second meeting on Tuesday turned out comfortably in Beverly’s favor as well, as the visiting Panthers earned an 87-51 victory.

  Two Sachem players did make double figures in scoring. Tyrone Manderson poured in 18 points and Ben Tapia-Gately added 14. The Panthers are looking like a state championship contender. They came out of Tuesday’s affair sporting a 16-0 record.

  The result was a lot closer on Wednesday when the Sachems traveled to face Triton in the makeup of an earlier postponed game. But despite a strong 17-point effort from Tapia-Gately and 11 points from Ryan Mabee, Saugus suffered a 66-53 setback to fall to 6-8 overall on the season.

  After last Friday’s home game against Salem, the Sachems, who are still in the running for a postseason bid, are back on the road all of next week. They travel to Essex Tech next Monday and then play at Peabody next Thursday and Masconomet next Friday.