Boulder Creek overcomes slow starts, rally to reach Final 4
Marc Buckhout ~ Managing Editor ~ 03/03/2010

Prior to the start of the 5A Div-II state tournament Boulder Creek Jaguars coach Randy Walker predicted that it would be his team’s defense that would determine whether his his squad would be able to hoist a state championship trophy at the end of the week-long event.
In earning a semifinal matchup against No. 4 seed Horizon (18-9) on Tuesday (results unavailable at press time) the top-seeded Jaguars have navigated their way halfway to a title precisely because of the grit and determination they’ve shown on the defensive end of the court, overcoming halftime deficits in both games.
On Saturday, two nights after rallying from a six-point deficit against No. 16 Deer Valley in the opening round, the Jaguars overcame a seven-point deficit against No. 8 Desert Mountain (14-13) to pull out a 52-50 win.
“We’re the No. 1 seed so people are obviously after us,” said Walker, who will face the program he once coached for the right to play for a state championship. “I’m proud of the fact that we’ve taken the best shot from two teams and are still standing. We’ll try and keep it going. We’ll play our game and let the chips fall where they may.”
Having already advanced further than any Jaguars team in school history, the now 26-2 squad knew they’d need a quicker start and better shooting overall if they were to advance to the 4 p.m. Wednesday state championship game set for Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe.
Two nights after a stellar 17 point playoff debut from freshman Josh Braun in the opening round win the Jaguars got a monster first half from sophomore Weston Newell, who scored 12 of his team’s 21 points, keeping his team within striking distance at intermission.
While Newell hit 4-of-7 from the field, including three first quarter three pointers, the rest of his teammates shot a dismal 3-of-21 from the field.
Thanks to their defense though the Jaguars remained very much in the game. After a 4 –of-26 shooting first half against Deer Valley in the opening round and a 7-of-30 first half effort against Desert Mountain, Newell said the team will have to do something to avoid digging themselves a hole in the semifinals.
“We got a butt chewing at halftime,” Newell said. “The message was basically we weren’t going to go out playing that bad. We need to come out quicker. I think our warm-ups have been a little weak. We need to be more intense from the start.”
The Jaguars opened the second half Saturday looking to amp up their defense, using a full-court defense to try to take the Wolves out of their comfort zone.
“They’re a rhythm offense,” Walker said. “We needed to be smart about using pressure because our game against Deer Valley took something out of our legs so we didn’t want to use it too much, but we tried different things that seemed to help in the second half.”
Although the host Jaguars made an initial run, cutting the deficit to two on a three pointer by senior Ryan Crane, Desert Mountain wouldn’t yield control easily as the visitors responded by rattling off a spurt of their own.
When senior Joseph MacEwan hit a three pointer from the top of the key the Jaguars were staring at a 10-point deficit and potentially a second straight season-ending loss on their home court.
“It has been more difficult in the playoffs,” senior forward Alex Dykhuizen said. “Teams really study what you do well and try to take that away. We stuck together though and had other guys step up.”
Crane, who scored all 12 of his points in the second half, agreed.
“We picked up our intensity and stayed poised,” he said. “We knew we had time and didn’t need to panic.”
The response from the Northwest Region champions was immediate as Braun, who continued his stellar post-season play, and Crane canned back-to-back three pointers.
Closing the quarter on a 10-0 run, the Jaguars had their fans buzzing as the game headed to the fourth quarter tied at 38-38.
“These games have a different feel,” Braun said following the opening round win. “We were a little nervous at first, but we played hard-nosed defense and I think that’s what did it for us.”
In a hotly contested fourth quarter the Jaguars made up for their shooting woes by avoiding turnovers and crashing the boards. While Desert Mountain turned the ball over four times against the Jaguars, and got up only nine shots, Boulder Creek’s aggressive play on the boards and no turnovers allowed them 15 shots.
After Crane converted two free throw to put his team up one with 1:56 left in the game the Jaguars got a stop, giving them a chance to extend their lead.
Driving along the left baseline Dykhuizen drew the attention of the defense. The senior, who has battled through migrane headaches that have bothered him through the first two games of the state tournament, spotted Braun in the lane. When the freshman converted the short jumper it gave the Jaguars their largest lead of the half to that point.
On the Wolves next possession Newell came up with a steal, forcing Desert Mountain to foul with 37 seconds left. The sophomore sank both free throws to extend the lead to five
From there the game turned into a free throw contest as Desert Mountain never again had a possession where they had a chance to tie the game.
For Walker the win was bitter sweet as it came at the expense of Desert Mountain coach Todd Fazio, a former assistant.
While that tempered his enthusiasm the pride in his team was evident.
“I think of these players like they’re my kids,” he said. “They play together and work so hard. You couldn’t ask for more.”
Against Horizon the Jaguars will be challenged by 6-foot-10 center Kyle Tresnak. The Huskies, who have won eight straight games, look to the senior to fill the stat sheet on a nightly basis as Tresnak averages 16.6 points per game, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks per contest.
“Our goal from the beginning of the season was to play for a state championship,” Crane said. “Now we’re one game away from getting that chance.”
In the bottom half of the bracket, Tuesday, two underdogs competed for a spot in Wednesday’s final as No. 14 Marcos de Niza battled No. 7 Chaparral.
Wednesday’s 5A Div-II championship game is set for 4 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe, located at 600 E. Veterans Way

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