After a disappointing start to Foothill League play, Saugus head coach Alfredo Manzano said Friday’s game at Hart was the best the Centurions have looked when it comes to energy and tempo.  “We had a big emphasis on that coming into the game, you know, pick up full court, do some pressing and create some turnovers,” Manzano said.  After a back-and-forth start, the Centurions finished the first quarter on a 15-0 run and used that to propel them the rest of the way. The Hawks rarely found space to move as at least one Saugus player was immediately smothering whoever had the ball.  Senior Max Guardado led the way with 31 points for Saugus, hitting three of four from beyond the arc as the Centurions came out on top, 67-47, on the road Friday in the last league game before the holiday break.  “I felt really confident in this game, and my coaches gave me the green light just to, you know, pop my shots, go drive in if I have to, kick out to one of my boys,” Guardado said. He also had six rebounds and three steals.  Saugus Centurion Braydon Harmon (12) seeks out an open teammate during Friday’s game against the Hart Hawks. Dec. 13, 2024. Katherine Quezada/The Signal The win brings the Centurions (4-4, 2-2) back to .500 in league play after starting off with two losses, while Hart (3-5, 0-3) is still looking for its first league win.  Junior Braydon Harmon added 12 points and 10 rebounds for Saugus to give himself a double-double, adding two assists and four steals. Senior Bryce Mejia had 11 points and four assists.  Manzano said Harmon was a top scorer at the lower levels before making his way to the varsity squad this year.  “He’s our best on-ball defender. He’s probably one of our most athletic guys. He rebounds the ball really, really well, defends the ball really, really well. His scoring will come. Right now, his scoring is coming off a lot of putbacks, drives to the basket, little stuff like that. He’ll come along.”  Hart found trouble getting points on the board throughout the middle of the game. It wasn’t until the second unit came into the game midway through the third quarter — and when the Centurions stepped off the gas just a touch after going up by as many as 31 points— that the Hawks started to see some success on offense.  Hart Hawks Ron Philips (2) and Matt Brill (10) jump for a rebound against the Saugus Centurions during Friday’s home game, Dec. 13, 2024. Katherine Quezada/The Signal Junior Jackson LaChapelle hit two threes off the bench on his way to a team-high 12 points. Sophomore Matt Brill also hit a couple of 3-pointers off the bench, finishing with eight points.  “Our younger guys did a much better job than our older guys tonight,” said Hart head coach Tom Kelly, adding that Saugus was simply more physical on the night.  Senior Craig Irons had eight points for Hart. The 7-foot center was monstrous on the boards but just couldn’t get some of his putback attempts to fall through.  Not scoring too much for Saugus but a catalyst on both ends was sophomore Aiden Pisarnwongs. He had four points, one assist and two steals.  Manzano said Pisarnwongs went straight from the freshman team to varsity after impressing over the summer, eventually solidifying himself as a starter.  Saugus Centurion Andrew Phan (4) fights for the ball against a Hart Hawk player on Friday at Hart High on Dec. 13, 2024. Katherine Quezada/The Signal “For a sophomore to come in and go through all that — he’s got to earn it, right, because there’s some seniors that have been there,” Manzano said. “He brings an element of speed, getting downhill, and he can shoot the ball as well.”  With finals week coming up for the William S. Hart Union High School District and the holiday break, there will be no Foothill League basketball games until the new year. Both teams have tournament games scheduled during the break before getting back to league action in January.  Guardado said it was a good time to start getting back to winning ways, and the hope is that the momentum continues the rest of the way.  “We’ll definitely use this as momentum for the next game and the game in the future and just keep it consistent going forward.”  Hart Hawk Jakob Gherardy (0) attempts to get past Saugus Centurion Bryce Mejia (1) during Friday’s game at Hart High. Dec. 13, 2024. Katherine Quezada/The Signal Here’s what happened in other Foothill League boys’ basketball action on Friday:  Golden Valley 60, Canyon 52: Golden Valley made a big statement Friday night on the road, taking down Canyon, 60-52, to stay unbeaten in the Foothill League.  Junior Wyatt Printz had 18 points, four rebounds and four assists to lead the Grizzlies (7-3, 3-0). Sophomore Donovan Webb added 11 points, six rebounds and three assists.  Canyon (7-3, 2-1) was led by senior Chigozie Osuji with 19 points, followed by senior Eric Kubel with 13 and junior Isaac Yuhico with 13.  Valencia 63, West Ranch 52: The Foothill League title currently runs through Valencia as the Vikings are now 4-0 after beating West Ranch (3-3, 1-3) at home on Friday, 63-52.  Sophomore Noah Trevino led the Vikings (5-6, 4-0) with 17 points while senior Dabe Princewill had 15 and sophomore Steven Irons had 14.  The post Saugus boys’ basketball shuts down Hart in lopsided road win  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.