Jaguars Extend Region Winning Streak

The Boulder Creek Jaguars continued their mastery of the Northwest region by knocking off the visiting O'Connor Eagles Friday evening by a comfortable 80-58 score in front of a large and boisterous Hoopcoming crowd. The win preserved the Jags undefeated record in the region (7-0) and on their home court (7-0), they now stand at 17-2 in their season. Boulder Creek came out hot and opened up a sizable lead in the first quarter and the Jaguar fans thought another very easy win was in order. O'Connor however continued to play hard and cut the Jags lead to only 8 at the half, displaying resiliency and an aggressive defense in the process. The Eagles are a new addition to the Northwest region this year and if the intensity of this game is any indication a very strong rivalry has been born as evidenced by some testy play during the game.

After what was surely a motivational halftime locker room talk by Coach Randy Walker and his staff, the Jags exploded in the 3rd quarter and were never seriously challenged for the rest of the game. The Eagles' strategy effectively pressured the Jags shooters and worked hard to limit their vaunted beyond the arc attack. But the Jags exploited their inside strengths, capitalizing on easy transition hoops and strong moves to the basket. Boulder Creek was paced by Alex Dykhuizen (25 points), Ryan Crane (17 points),Ryan Zettle (11 points) Weston Newell (10 points), and Joe Simpson (10 points). Coach Walker again relied on a deep bench for significant contributions from Jake Hunt, Ryan Benn and Benji Rutan as both Cort Watson and freshman Josh Braun were not available to play against O'Connor.

The Jaguars were pleased to welcome their local sponsors to the game as a way to express their gratitude for supporting the team and program. The sponsors enjoyed refreshments in the Hospitality Room and indicated they were impressed by the energy and activities that were evident as they entered the lobby of the Boulder Creek gymnasium and found themselves in the midst of Hoopcoming hoopla. The sponsors were also presented with framed pictures of the team as a token of their community support of Jaguar basketball.

Next up for the Jags is a long road trip to take on Kingman in a rematch against another regional rival. The Jags had little trouble in their initial meeting at home but anticipate a tougher game on the road. Boulder Creek returns to the friendly confines of their own court next Friday against Valley Vista, the lone regional opponent that they have yet to face.