O’Connor, Boulder Creek makes 5A girls state field
by Jason Stone

NORTH VALLEY – The girls basketball teams at Boulder Creek and Sandra Day O’Connor have been up and down all season.

Now, both teams are hoping to stay up the rest of the season with the 5A‑Division II state tournament beginning this week.

Boulder Creek (14‑13 overall) and O’Connor (13‑13) were seeded 13th and 14th, respectively, for this year’s tournament, which began with first‑round games played Feb. 20 past press time.                 

The Jaguars earned their spot despite winning consecutive games only twice since Dec. 9. After starting the season 6‑0, the Jaguars went 8‑13 down the stretch. Boulder Creek only managed to reach the first round of the Northwest Region tournament when it lost at North Canyon 42‑37.

O’Connor, meanwhile, have been hovering around the .500 mark all season. The Eagles have been in a pattern of win three‑lose three and win two‑lose two for the better part of two months. Coming into state, the Eagles are trying to bounce back from a 52‑46 loss Feb. 12 to Kingman in the first round of the Northwest Region tournament.

Both teams will be chasing No. 1 Flowing Wells if it makes it past the first round. Boulder Creek was scheduled to play at No. 4 Tolleson in the first round. O’Connor had a first‑round date with third‑seeded Centennial.

Had Boulder Creek won its first game, the Jaguars would face either No. 5 Marcos de Niza or 12th‑seeded North Canyon Feb. 23 in the quarterfinals on the road.

Likewise, O’Connor would be on the road for Round 2 against either No. 6 Westview or No. 11 North on Feb. 23 as well.

The semifinals and finals of this year’s state tournament will be staged at Jobing.com Arena, home of the Phoenix Coyotes. The semifinals are slated for Feb. 26, while the championship game is set for 5 p.m. March 6.

Goldwater, another local 5A‑II team, did not qualify for state this year.