ATHLETE OF THE WEEK : Morse Is No Longer Moody After Six Wins

Probably no one on the Southern Section 3-A champion Saugus basketball team would argue that the Centurions’ 55-52 loss to Canyon in the final game of the regular season was the team’s low point of the season.

Rusty Morse certainly wouldn’t.

“I was depressed all weekend,” Morse said. “I sat around the house and didn’t want to talk to anyone.”

Had Saugus beaten Canyon, Morse and his teammates would have been Golden League champions. Instead, the Centurions finished a game behind co-champions Canyons and Burroughs of Ridgecrest (both 8-2) and were dealt a lousy card--a wild-card game against Hart that they had to win to qualify for the playoffs.

That worsened Morse’s mood.

“It didn’t really seem like the playoffs at all,” Morse said.

So, with an attitude of “nothing to lose and everything to gain,” Saugus defeated Hart and went on to beat five more playoff opponents--including No. 1-seeded Rolling Hills and No. 2 Katella--to capture the championship with a 66-53 victory over Rolling Hills last Saturday.

“We knew other teams would take us lightly,” Morse said. “But by the time they realized that we were pretty good, it was too late.”

Morse was more than pretty good against Rolling Hills. The 6-4 senior forward, playing what he called his best all-around game of the season, had 12 rebounds, 3 blocked shots and a game-high 29 points to lead Saugus to victory.

Morse averaged 17 points a game during the season but increased his average in the playoffs to 19.3.

“He kind of turned it on a bit,” Saugus Coach John Clark said. “He deserves every honor given to him.”

“It had to be the biggest thrill of my life,” Morse said about winning the championship in the Sports Arena. “The place was so big and there were so many fans. It was kind of scary at first. But once the game started I was OK.”

Morse, however, does have one regret.

“I wish we would have won our league,” he said. “But I’ll take a CIF championship over a Golden League championship any day.”