Girls’ basketball: Lady Sachems finding their identity after split week

By Dom Nicastro

At about the midway point of the season, Saugus High School girls’ basketball is still defining exactly who it is — and, in many ways, that clarity is starting to show.

The Sachems sit at 4–4 after a split week that included a 52–37 loss at Winthrop and a 52–47 home win over Swampscott. For first-year head coach Taylor Bogdanski, the contrast between the two games offered a clear snapshot of where the team is — and where it’s heading.

“We’ve been really trying the past couple weeks,” Bogdanski said, “to talk about who are we as a team? What are our strengths?”

With a new voice on the sideline, Bogdanski said the focus has been on establishing core values rather than reinventing everything at once.

“It’s my first year, and we’ve been starting a bunch of new things,” she said. “We can still have core values and find who we are.”

  The loss at Winthrop was lopsided on the scoreboard, but Bogdanski said it also served as a turning point.

“Winthrop played unbelievable,” she said. “They absolutely picked our pockets a lot. They had a girl who shot lights out.”

Bogdanski made it a point to credit the opponent while also acknowledging that Saugus didn’t put together its best performance.

“We competed, but I think it just wasn’t our best showing,” she said.

Film review afterward highlighted one major issue: “We’re standing still offensively is what was hurting us,” Bogdanski said. “As for Winthrop, I think that our offensive game was our issue.”

Rather than dwelling on the loss, Bogdanski said the group responded with urgency.

“After Winthrop, I think we were all kind of like, OK, we’re here,” she said. “There’s only room to grow. We need to look at these moments and analyze them and see what we can do better.”

  That growth showed up two nights later, back on Saugus’ home floor for the first time in more than a month.

“We haven’t been home since Marblehead, which was the second week of December,” Bogdanski said. “So it probably was nice for the girls to get on the floor and shoot in the gym that we do every single day.”

The Sachems leaned into ball movement, pace and defensive intensity — the same areas that had been emphasized in practice.

“When we came to Swampscott, we were just flying up the floor, moving the ball really well,” Bogdanski said. “Defensively, we were all over the floor. I think our intensity was unbelievable.”

Saugus also fed off the atmosphere.

“I also think they feed off of the gym and the energy in the gym, because families are there and friends are there,” she said.

  Senior Peyton DiBiasio led the way with 24 points against Swampscott, while Niki Breton added 15. But Bogdanski said the bigger takeaway was how spread out the production became.

“We had contributors all over the floor,” she said. “They can’t face guard one person. If one person’s being face guarded, then the next person steps up and so forth.”

DiBiasio’s scoring remains consistent — attacking the basket, knocking down threes and getting to the line — but Bogdanski said her impact continues to expand.

“She’s also setting her teammates up for success,” Bogdanski said. “When she’s attacking, she’s kicking the ball for Niki, who’s a great catch-and-shoot kind of player.”

Bogdanski added that Katie Hashem plays a similar role, both finding her own spots and distributing when defenses collapse.

  Defensively, Saugus has shown a willingness to adjust game by game.

“We mix a bunch of different things,” Bogdanski said. “We have a lot of defensive weapons on the team.”

From full-court pressure to half-court traps to denying the opposing point guard, Bogdanski said the Sachems are learning to adapt.

“I wouldn’t say we have just one thing that we do,” she said. “I think we’re kind of just everywhere, and we’re adjusting every defensive style to different games.”

  Saugus faces a challenging stretch ahead, including a road game at Masconomet and a non-league matchup at Arlington Catholic. Bogdanski expects Masconomet in particular to be a strong test.

“They’re quick,” she said. “They play full-court man, they move the ball really well, they look for transition offense. I think it’ll be a great game, and I’m honestly really excited to play them.”

Bogdanski said she embraces a schedule that regularly pits Saugus against higher-division opponents. Saugus is Division 3. Masconomet is Division 2.

“I love it,” she said. “It makes us a better team. We’re able to compete.”

As the Sachems continue to work through the heart of their schedule, Bogdanski said the emphasis remains on staying connected.

“I’ve been harping on showing up for each other,” she said. “They stuck together the whole game (against Swampscott). I was more proud of how they stuck together.”