Peyton DiBiasio joins 1,000-point club as Saugus girls start strong

By Dom Nicastro

If Peyton DiBiasio called it a career right now – a little more than three seasons through – she’d still be in the GOAT talk for the Saugus High School girls basketball program. But she’s not done. Not even close. And the accolades keep adding up.

In a 52-40 win over Gloucester on the road Tuesday night, the junior became the fourth girls basketball player at Saugus to reach the 1,000-point scoring milestone. She dropped a 28-point effort against the Fishermen on this night, sailing into the quadruple-digit club in style. She joins current assistant coach Norma Waggett and Pam Thornton and Jen Salas in the elite club.

“It was exciting to watch another player reach this milestone,” Waggett said. “She’s only the fourth member in Saugus girls basketball history to accomplish this. I love how strong she is on and off the court. She takes it hard to the hoop and is incredibly coachable. She’s always in the gym extra working on her game. She can definitely play in college, and that’s her goal.”

In her first three years for the Sachems, DiBiasio has an all-star and two All-Conference selections under her belt. Yes – all-star as an eighth-grader and All-Conference as a freshman and sophomore.

The point guard and Ms. Everything on the court helped the Sachems to back-to-back Northeastern Conference championships and the program’s first postseason victory in recent memory this past season. She averaged 17.8 points per game, five rebounds and four assists this season.

DiBiasio recalled the 1,000-point moment in Gloucester. “I scored my 1,000th point after a free throw,” she said. “I had attacked the hoop hard looking to draw a foul, and the refs made the call. I honestly didn’t know that free throw would be my 1,000th. I knew I was close, but I didn’t know I was that close. After I knocked the first one down and heard everyone cheering and storming the court, I knew I had done it. It was an exciting moment, and I was just very relieved to have had that weight finally lifted off my shoulders.”

And here she is now with practically her whole junior and fourth season ahead of her, with around 40 games to go in her career. And this is one heckuva side benefit – she gets to work daily with a fellow member of the 1,000-point scoring club in Coach Waggett, who’s about 10 years removed from her Saugus playing days. How often does that happen?

“Joining the 1,000-point club is something I’ve always dreamed about when I was a kid so to finally hit that milestone, especially with Coach Waggett (1,110 points in three seasons) by my side, is something special,” DiBiasio said. “Ever since she got here, she’s had an immediate impact on me and has been someone I know I can rely on. She’s been guiding me through it all as she has been in my shoes before and wants to see me succeed. Having her around has truly been a pleasure. I’m so grateful for her continuous support, and I can’t wait to continue working with her as the season progresses.”

DiBiasio is only getting better on the court – more well-rounded, her head coach said. “I’ve noticed Peyton has worked harder on the defensive side of the ball and a willingness to try to rebound,” Saugus coach Joe Lowe said. “Peyton has the talent and the ability to be a college basketball player and ultimately one of the best basketball players in Saugus High School girls history and also in the North Shore area. What she puts into it is what she continually gets out of it, so the sky is the limit.”

DiBiasio has had plenty of help in the Sachems’ strong 2-1 start this winter season. Shawn Sewell had nine points and Katie Hashem added eight in the win against Gloucester. DiBiasio led the way with 20 points in a 63-19 win over Salem and was followed by Shay Sewell with 10 and Hashem with eight.

“Everyone on the team is just working hard to play full court, man-to-man defense, and just giving maximum effort whenever they can on that side of the ball,” Lowe said. “Everyone is contributing in their own way the first three games, but I’ll give a big nod to freshman Katie Hashem, taking on tough defensive assignments against bigger, stronger, girls. She’s hitting shots.”