Saugus boys’ players named to NEC all-star squad

The Saugus High School boys’ basketball team made significant strides this season. The Sachems earned their first playoff berth in three years and captured the Northeastern Conference’s Lynch Division title, the first such finish for the Saugus boys since the early 1990s.

After falling to Seekonk in the Round of 32 portion of the state Div. 3 postseason tournament, the Sachems concluded the 2022-23 campaign with a 13-8 overall record and some promise for the near future. However, Saugus will see the departure of five key players from this year’s team.

Seniors Ben Tapia-Gately, Max Anajjar, Josh Osawe, Chris Flynn and Isaiah Garcia were important members of this year’s squad. They will be missed. But head coach Joe Bertrand said last week that it will be up to the underclassmen players to pick up where the departing senior group left off.

Last week, three Saugus players – Tapia-Gately, Anajjar and Osawe – were named to the conference all-star team. Tapia-Gately was the team’s leading scorer all season and poured in a team-high 22 points, to go along with nine rebounds, in his final game as a Sachem in the playoff loss at Seekonk.

Anajjar was a consistent floor captain and contributed mightily both on the offensive and defensive end. He was routinely among the team’s top scorers from game to game. Osawe was similar to Anajjar, as he made his presence felt on both ends of the floor, and on several occasions led the team in the scoring column. He collected 13 points in the final game at Seekonk.