Youth Is Served at Saugus

Oh, to be young, naive and talented.

Too inexperienced to understand that teams with four sophomore starters don’t belong in the Southern Section quarterfinals, Saugus High marches on in the girls’ basketball playoffs.

The Centurions (21-5) will host No. 4-seeded Irvine Woodbridge tonight in a Division I-A game.

I.D. will not be checked at the door.

It’s a good thing, because Sheridan Arredondo, Jessi Loring, Julia Bradley and AnnMarie Summerhays probably wouldn’t be admitted without a guardian.

Coach Eric Olsson knew he had a talented group when it enrolled at Saugus before the 1999-2000 season. He just figured his youngsters would peak next season, as juniors.

So, what are the Centurions doing in the quarterfinals?

“I have no idea,” Loring said, laughing.

At least the players are loose.

Olsson’s stomach was in knots before a 59-48 second-round victory over Huntington Beach Edison on Saturday.

“My assistant and I were dying inside and I look over and they’re all giggling,” said Olsson, whose team had a first-round bye. “I just don’t think they understood how important that game was.”

Important because, in the program’s 24 seasons, Saugus had never won a playoff game.

It was the latest of several barriers to fall.

Ahead of schedule, the Centurions claimed a share of their first Foothill League title and set a school record for victories, smashing the old mark of 18.

“It’s crazy to think we’re at the level we’re at right now,” said Summerhays, a 5-foot-2 guard.

Along with senior guard Brusta Brown, the sophomore quartet form an impressive lineup.

Arredondo and Loring, both 6-2, and Bradley, 6 feet, are the region’s most imposing front line this side of national power Buena.

Summerhays and Brown are quick, tenacious and effective from the outside.

“I love the way those girls play,” said Coach Jerry Mike of Valencia, which tied Saugus for the league title. “They’re not afraid of anything. They just play hard.”

Balance has been a key for Saugus.

Four players are averaging between nine and 12 points. Seven players--the starters and reserves Lisa Sonnenblick, also a sophomore, and junior Stephanie Hong--have taken turns leading Saugus in scoring.

“There’s not one individual star on this team,” said Arredondo, who took her turn in the spotlight against Edison, collecting 17 points, 21 rebounds, six assists and three blocked shots. “We all average about the same, which makes us tough to stop.”

Each has a role.

Loring, averaging 11.9 points and 6.5 rebounds, ranks among the region’s best post players when it comes to filling the lane on the fastbreak and utilizing a soft touch around the basket.

Arredondo, averaging 10.8 points, 12.2 rebounds and three blocked shots, is a force inside and a serious obstacle for opponents.

Bradley, also a varsity volleyball player, is a strong defender who has sacrificed scoring to contribute in other ways. She is averaging 6.4 rebounds.

Summerhays, a gritty shooting guard and the best one-on-one defender, has made a team-high 38 three-pointers and is averaging 10.1 points, 3.9 assists and 3.4 steals.

Last week in practice, she knocked out a tooth while scrambling for a loose ball. She left the gym to have the tooth reattached by a dentist, then returned to take 150 shots.

Brown, the senior, is the team’s glue, lending experience and nine points, 5.4 assists and 3.1 steals.

“We’ve exceeded every goal I wrote down for them,,” Olsson said. “In a lot of ways, it will be hard during the next two years to top this season.”

That sort of challenge doesn’t seem to faze his young players.

“We’ve been talking about what it will be like to win a [Southern Section] championship,” Bradley said.

At this point, who’s going to tell them it can’t be done?