Jaguars, Eagles girls ousted in first round
Boulder Creek falls to Tolleson, O’Connor to Centennial at state
by Jason Stone                        

NORTH VALLEY – The stay at state wasn’t long for the teams from Boulder Creek and Sandra Day O’Connor. Still, the two teams can one day say they qualified for the state’s elite tournament during the 2006‑07 season.

Boulder Creek finished the season 14‑14 when it lost in the 5A‑Division II state tournament first round.

In only its second year as a varsity program–and first with seniors–Boulder Creek advanced to state before falling to Tolleson 58‑47 on Feb. 20. The Jaguars’ season accomplishments include a 6‑0 start and advancing to both the Northwest Region and state tournaments.

Tolleson, which advanced all the way to the 5A‑II championship game where it will play Westview March 6 for the title, used a 18‑6 first‑quarter run to get a big cushion right from the start.

Nadia Hussain scored 10 points to lead the Jaguars, but it proved not to be enough. Tolleson held a 38‑17 lead at halftime and was never seriously challenged in the second half. Andrea Andrews did most of the damage for Tolleson with 17 points. Three other Tolleson players scored in double figures.  

O’Connor, meanwhile, finished a 13‑14 campaign with a narrow one‑point loss at Centennial in the first round. The Eagles nearly pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the tournament before coming short 48‑47.

The Eagles were playing their final game at the 5A level. The school is moving down a classification to the 4A‑Division I level next school year where it will be aligned with Apollo, Independence, Prescott, Sunnyslope and Thunderbird.

Boulder Creek is remaining in 5A‑II and will stay in a newly configured Northwest Region with Goldwater. Other schools include current Northwest Region members Deer Valley and Kingman as well as two newer Surprise‑area schools, Valley Vista and Willow Canyon.

The Arizona Interscholastic Association still plans to stage two separate state tournaments in both the 5A and 4A conferences next season after experimenting with the arrangement the last two years.

The state setup has drawn mixed reviews from coaches. Some say it waters down the state tournament, while others relish the easier chance at competing for a state championship.