Defense fuels red-hot start for Lady Sachems as DiBiasio nears all-time record

By Dom Nicastro

The Saugus High School girls basketball team is off to a 6-1 start in the 2024-2025 season, boasting an undefeated 4-0 mark in Northeastern Conference (NEC) play. With a relentless defensive mindset and key contributions from standout players, the Sachems are tough to beat so far.

Recent victories – Winthrop (46-40) and Swampscott (34-23) – showcased junior Peyton DiBiasio leading the charge on offense. DiBiasio is now just 25 points away from tying assistant coach Norma Waggett’s all-time scoring record for the Saugus girls program.

  Saugus’ defensive has been dominant. It’s where Coach Joe Lowe is spending most of his time in practice, and it’s showed. The team has forced an average of 30 turnovers per game while limiting opponents to just 38 points per game, a significant improvement from last season’s 46 points allowed per game.

“There hasn’t been one possession where we haven’t played full-court man,” Lowe said. “That pace is very hard to [replicate] if a team doesn’t practice that pace. We play like that, and that’s how we practice.”

This approach has given Saugus a distinct edge. “We’ve won the turnover battle in every game,” Lowe added. “Our opponents are averaging 30 turnovers a game, which is unbelievable.”

Against Swampscott on Jan. 6, Saugus overcame a slow offensive start to secure a 34-23 win. “Swampscott came out and played a zone,” said Lowe. “We were really slow to score. Part of that’s coaching – not having the best offense ready – and part of that’s how Swampscott played us defensively.”

Despite offensive struggles, Saugus hit key shots when it mattered. “We buckled in and hit some clutch shots in the third and fourth quarters to push us to that 11-point victory,” Lowe said.

Lowe highlighted senior captain Madison Botta for her exceptional defensive play. “Swampscott has an unbelievable freshman,” he said, “and Botta held her to four points. She just shuts players down.”

In their earlier win over Winthrop, DiBiasio scored 22 points, while junior Ella Castle added 11. Botta once again anchored the defense, and senior Taylor Deleidi contributed five points, including steady ball-handling against defensive pressure.

DiBiasio’s consistency has been a driving force for the team. After her 19-point performance against Swampscott, including eight clutch free throws in the fourth quarter, she is now within striking distance of Waggett’s all-time scoring record. “She could get 25 Thursday with the way she’s been playing,” said Lowe. “But it’s setting up nicely for her to break that, hopefully, at the Garden on Saturday.”

The Sachems face a busy week ahead, hosting Masconomet on Thursday, Jan. 9, before heading to TD Garden on Saturday, Jan. 11, to play NEC rival Marblehead. The Garden matchup pits Lowe against his former coach for Saugus boys basketball, Paul Moran, who now coaches Marblehead girls. Lowe graduated from Saugus in 2010.

“Coach Moran still has the same plays we used to run when I played for him,” Lowe said with a laugh. “It’s very funny when he calls plays, and I start calling them out. They’re ingrained in my brain from running them as a player.”

Lowe and Moran are tied 2-2 in head-to-head matchups, adding extra intrigue to this weekend’s game. “This is kind of the rubber match,” Lowe said.

  While the team’s defense has been exceptional, Lowe acknowledges that the offense still has room to grow. “I’ll take the criticism on only scoring 34 points,” Lowe said after the Swampscott game. “We’ve spent less than 20 minutes of practice on a zone and even set plays in general. My goal is to peak toward the end of the year.”