Jags Rebound, Win Home Opener

There's no place like home for the holidays and that familiar refrain certainly was proven to be true at the "J" on Thursday night. The Boulder Creek men's basketball team shook off their season opening loss with an impressive win over the visiting Millennium Tigers by a final score of 77-64. The Jags looked to be in mid season form and even a superb game by Tiger guard Tyler Russell couldn't slow the Jaguars down. Boulder Creek looked sharp early and jumped out to an 8-0 lead, fueled by a relentless defense and crisp passing that led to easy hoops. The Tigers weathered the storm however and at the end of the first quarter the teams were deadlocked at 15. The Jaguars came out strong in the second quarter and solid team play helped them to a 34-26 half time lead. Only good free throw shooting kept the Tigers within striking range.

Boulder Creek came out of the intermission on fire, jump started by a deep tres from point guard Ryan Zettle, who was very effective setting up his teammates all through the game.Zettle led the Jags in assists, while contributing to the point total with 11 of his own. The Weston Newell/Josh Braun combo once again caused a lot of problems for the opposition, as both were effective at both ends of the court, with their scoring and off the boards. So did the tremendous play that the Jags got from Cort Watson, who is making a name for himself as the Jags steady and consistent stabilizer. The Jags defense limited the Tigers to only 9 third quarter points, holding them scoreless in the first 4.5 minutes of the quarter. That allowed the Jags to stretch their lead to 53-35 going into the final period.

Boulder Creek got valuable performances from Stephen Crim, Joe Simpson, Jake Hunt, Randyll Roberts, Ryan Benn, Taylor Downey and Connor Kuchar. Coach Randy Walker has the luxury of a solid starting core and a deep set of reserves that provide the team with energy and continuity when substitutions and rotation changes are necessary. The Tigers didn't give up in the 4th quarter however and the Jags' lead was whittled from 19 to single digits during the period. However, strong play from Zettle, Watson, Newell and Braun was enough to secure the win for Boulder Creek and even their season record at 1-1.

This was a nice win for the Jags and avenged last seasons' loss to Millennium. The Jags next set their sites on Red Mountain, who they visit on Friday December 3rd. Last year the teams met and Boulder Creek emerged victorious. Boulder Creek returns home to face South Mountain on December 7th. The Jags had good fan support for their home opener and need Jaguar Nation to continue cheering them to victory as they head into a tough part of their schedule.