Sachems push past Vikings in Green Tourney opener

  So far this season, the Saugus High School boys’ basketball team has notched some impressive wins. The latest came on Wednesday in the opening round of the David Green Memorial Holiday Tournament at Winthrop High School.

  For the second time this season, the Sachems defeated tourney host Winthrop, 62-50, in what was a back-and-forth affair that eventually turned Saugus’s way late. Josh Osawe took the lead by scoring 19 points, followed closely by Max Anajjar’s 17. Point guard Ben Tapia-Gately also reached double figures with 11.

  Wednesday’s victory upped the Sachems’ early-season record to 4-1, as Head Coach Joe Bertrand and his squad are looking like legitimate postseason contenders this winter.

  After taking Wednesday’s tournament opener, Bertrand said the Sachems got the job done, especially on the defensive end of the floor. “Every time we went on a run, Winthrop climbed right back. But we did a great job pushing through Winthrop’s runs,” he observed. “The team defense was the difference today – forcing turnovers and cleaning up on the glass.”

  The Sachems faced the Revere Patriots, who knocked off East Boston in the other opening-round contest, in the Green Tourney title game on Thursday (after press deadline). Further on, they host Marblehead next Tuesday (scheduled 7 p.m. tipoff), and they aren’t scheduled to see action again until Jan. 10 when they travel for a game at Gloucester.

  Tapia-Gately’s 17 points led the way in a hard-fought 48-41 home win over Lynnfield last Thursday. Saugus entered halftime ahead by a 24-18 margin and finished the contest with an 8-0 surge to come away with the W after falling behind. Also contributing to the winning effort were Cam Soroko (six points) and Anajjar.

  After the Lynnfield win, Bertrand told the press his team was able to grind it out despite struggling offensively. “It was a scrappy game. We did not make a lot of shots,” he said. “But we found a way to win.”