Boulder Creek vs. Westwind Prep

December 6, 2011

Boulder Creek vs. Westwind Prep

Going into the 2011-2012 Arizona high school sports year one thing was for certain, realignment of the divisions meant that the competition each team faced was going to get much tougher. Such was the case Tuesday night as the Boulder Creek boys basketball team faced the Westwind Prep Warriors. Behind Josh Braun’s 35 points and a very effective 1-3-1 zone defense, the Jaguars hung on to win 78-72.
The BC Jags started the game in a zone defense that slowed the very talented and athletic Westwind Prep offense. The Warriors have one of the quickest, most talented point guards in the State in Peewee Gardner. Coach Walker’s decision to go zone took away some of the dribble penetration that Gardner can provide. Josh Braun had a monster first quarter scoring 16 points. Ball movement and outside shooting was outstanding and the Jags ended the first quarter with a 23-16 lead.
In the second quarter Coach Walker mixed up the defenses. At times going man-to-man to catch Westwind Prep off guard. However, Westwind’s offense hit stride closing the Boulder Creek lead. To counter, the Jags ran very effective set plays and got a boost from aggressive offensive rebounding. Weston Newell (10points) started to find his scoring range and Marcus Jarrett entered off the bench to nail jump shots. Scoring was more balanced and the half ended with the Jags leading 42-38.
Early in the third quarter the Jaguars got a scare as Josh Braun had to leave the game when he and another Westwind player collided causing a deep cut above this left eye. Westwind’s Orkan Bakis found his shooting touch with numerous 3 point shots from the wing. BC countered with Connor Kuchar (8 points) and Marcus Jarrett (11 points) off the bench to help the Jags keep pace with the Warriors. With Braun out most of the third quarter the Jags fought to a 58-57 lead.
The fourth quarter was a thriller. Boulder Creek committed 2 turnovers at the beginning of the quarter and Westwind took advantage to grab the lead for the first time in the game, 61-58. In every game there is a key possession and with 6 minutes left the Jags regained the lead when they fought for 4 offensive rebounds culminating in Josh Braun’s 3 point play. The lead changed hands until the 2:33 mark when Westwind tied the game at 68. In the final minute, the Jags hit two free throws to take a 71-69 lead. Westwind was forced to foul and the Jags confidently went to the line, hit the free throws, and finish with a 78-72 victory.
Though it doesn’t show up in the stats, Randyll Roberts handled the ball against full court pressure and ran the offense without making turnovers. His efficient play at point guard was vital in the BC win tonight.