Paskwietz Free Throws Upend Saugus Again

There were a lot of airborne objects in the Saugus High gym Thursday night. Twice during the game between Canyon and Saugus, the referees halted the game and the public-address announcer asked the crowd to stop throwing things onto the court.

It got so bad at one point that Canyon Athletic Director Dave Harris positioned himself in the crowd among some suspicious Canyon fans.

But things got worse for Saugus when Canyon guard Greg Paskwietz started throwing the most important object through the air and into the basket: the basketball.

For the second time this season Paskwietz beat Saugus with his free-throw shooting in the final minute, sinking five free throws in the final 34 seconds to lift Canyon to a 55-52 Golden League victory.

The win assured Canyon (8-2, 19-6 overall) of at least a tie with Burroughs (Ridgecrest) for the Golden League championship. Canyon will win the league title if Burroughs loses to Quartz Hill on Friday night.

“Whenever we’re ahead by a little in the final minutes they just get the ball to me,” Paskwietz said of his teammates. “And when the score is close, they have to foul me.”

Canyon led, 50-49, when Saugus’ Rick Bilek fouled Paskwietz in the back court. After sinking both free throws, Paskwietz went to the line again with 13 seconds to play and once again with just seven seconds to play.

Paskwietz, who finished with 14 points, made six of eight free throws, all in the fourth quarter.

“I’m surprised he missed any,” Canyon Coach Greg Hayes said. “He made me sweat a little.”

Saugus (7-3, 16-9) took an 18-14 first-quarter lead as forward John Thomas scored eight points in the quarter.

Things really began to fly, on and off the court, in the second quarter. Both teams traded long-distance jumpers five times to knot the score, 28-28, at halftime.

But the game was halted for five minutes while the referees threatened Hayes with a technical foul because of objects being thrown from the Canyon side of the court.

“The referees weren’t going to call a foul like that,” Saugus Coach John Clark said. Although play again was stopped in the fourth quarter, Canyon wasn’t. Playing for most of the second half without starting center Stuart Sayre, who picked up his fourth foul in the third quarter, Canyon built a six-point lead early in the final quarter.

“We just had to play hard and fight like crazy,” Hayes said.

Sayre returned in the fourth quarter and finished with 14 points to tie Paskwietz and Saugus’ Rusty Morse for game-high honors.

CANYON--White 10, Nash 2, Sayre 14, Paskwietz 14, Allbritton 7, Boron 8.

SAUGUS--Morse 14, Thomas 12, Dorst 6, Weber 12, Newberry 6, Bilek 2.