MIDDLEBORO — The Sachems will not rest until another black and orange banner hangs against the walls of the Middleboro High School gym.  

“We made it to the Elite 8 last year, so expectations are high,” said Sachems Head Coach Joe Pauze, who says he wants his athletes to “play free and fast.” The Sachems are off to stellar start for the 2024-2025 season, with a 5-0 record as of Saturday, Jan.4.   

Senior Guard Ryan Marzelli outlined the team’s goals for the next few months: qualify for the state tournament, win the league championship, then get as far as possible in the playoffs.  

And if the Sachems play what Pauze refers to as their “brand of basketball” which relies on fast transitions and strong defense, they just may bring those desires to fruition.  

The Sachems kicked off the season on a high note, with a 67-58 victory over the Apponequet Lakers during their first game on Friday, Dec. 13. The victory was especially sweet given that the Sachems lost to the Lakers three times last season, according to Pauze. 

The team’s performance noticeably improved during the game’s second half, once first- game jitters had subsided, noted Pauze.  

“We hang our hat on the defensive end,” he said. “If we can hold teams to around 50 points, we’ll have a good chance at winning. We play tough man-to-man defense.” 

Another advantage the Sachems have is height, he noted. Davenport’s 6’6” frame makes his jump shots especially hard to block. 

On the court this year is a group with “really good potential,” that is particularly noteworthy because players are “unselfish. They do not care who gets the job done, as long as we win the game,” said the Sachems coach.  

After years of working together during the competition and the off-season, players have developed an incredibly strong bond, relayed Senior Center Jackson Davenport, who says he gets together with his teammates regularly during the summer to shoot hoops at the YMCA. 

“We can read each other's minds. That is not something you can just learn, that comes with time,” he said.  

That chemistry comes into play when someone makes a mistake during a game. “If someone is having a rough stretch, the best thing you can do as a team is look past it and go to the next play. That stuff is in the past,” stated Davenport.  

Pauze’s goal for the team this year is to continue building trust in each other and make more passes to open teammates, he said.  

Having trust in your teammates, “brings up the energy for all of us. We are one unit,” said Matt Evirs.   

Sharing that his goal is to “get even farther than we did last time and put a banner up,” Evirs will settle for nothing less than excellence during last high school season.  

Just two days after their hard-fought first win of the season, the team was already back to work, with Pauze taking a page out of Former Patriots Coach Bill Belichick’s rulebook.  

“Like Belichick says, it’s onto the next game,” he said.