SAUGUS — The No. 25 Saugus girls basketball team (14-7) hosted No. 40 North High (10-11) in the MIAA Division 3 preliminary round.

In a packed house, the Sachems didn’t disappoint, blowing out the Polar Bears, 58-12, to advance to Thursday’s Round of 32 matchup against No. 8 Dover-Sherborn. 

The fireworks didn’t begin until later on, however. Both teams came out struggling to make shots, combining for just two field goals in the opening eight minutes. 

Saugus led, 7-2, thanks to a 3-pointer and free throws. 

“They just had to relax. We missed six layups and four or five threes,” said Saugus coach Joseph Lowe. “I told them to relax, have fun, enjoy the game, and not be so tense and tight.” 

Well, they listened. 

The Sachems knocked down five threes to polish off a 23-point second quarter. The run started with back-to-back-to-back triples from Ella Castle (2) and Ashleigh Moore to give Saugus a 16-2 lead, which ballooned to 30-7 by halftime.

“Ella (11 points) hitting two and Ashleigh (3) hitting one in that sequence was big. When we get production from Ella, Ashleigh, and Taylor Deleidi (10 points), we will be a tough team to stop,” Lowe said. “For us to hit threes, that’s when we start generating points and momentum. You saw it tonight. We hit one, and everyone starts hitting.” 

Saugus didn’t look back from there, playing stifling defense and holding the Polar Bears to just one point in the third. 

Yes, one point.

“I thought our team was ready to play tonight. Credit to the crowd and our fans for giving us a good atmosphere,” Lowe said. “They had two good days of practice after two hard days of practice. We won by 46, but they (Polar Bears) had some really good players. I thought our girls shut them down and I think the girls got themselves ready for Thursday.” 

The Sachems boast eight seniors, all of whom were on the floor at some point during the game. 

“I was really happy for them. We have eight seniors, so for them to go out on top tonight and contribute, and have the environment they had tonight, I’m really glad they got to have that experience,” Lowe said. 

Now, all the attention turns to Thursday at 6 p.m. 

“They have the MVP (Erica Hills) and an All-Star in Elliana Scalabrine (son of Brian). They’re really good and they play in a tough league,” Lowe said. “It’s almost like a Peabody type of matchup for us. They’re definitely bigger than us, but I believe we have the edge in guard play in terms of shooting. We have to defend like we can and rebound to go at them on Thursday.” 

Scoring leaders (Saugus)

Peyton DiBiasio: 14

Castle: 11

Deleidi: 10

Ashleen Escobar: 8

Sydney Deleidi: 3

Devany Millerick: 3

Moore: 3

Madi Femino: 2

Jessica Bremberg: 2

Madison Botta: 2