Jaguars rally to beat O’Connor

Boulder Creek wins final three games in rivalry match

by Jason Stone

ANTHEM – The rivalry between Boulder Creek and Sandra Day O’Connor is just beginning, but the match the two teams played Sept. 14 will only add fuel to the fire.

Boulder Creek blew big leads in the first two games but rallied to win the next three in a marathon match at O’Connor. The Jaguars improved to 10‑3 overall and 2‑2 in the Northwest Region with a 20‑25, 23‑25, 25‑22, 25‑16, 15‑6 victory.

“After we lost the first two games, I told the girls, ‘You better believe we’re going to win this game,’” Boulder Coach Chad Speer said. “We believed, and we worked hard and came back to win it in five.”

Nicole Lentine racked up 18 kills, Brittany Barnum had 13 kills and four blocks, and Brittany Bartimoccia had eight kills and 15 digs.

“We were just solid everywhere,” Speer said. “We had a lot of offense.”

Boulder Creek blew a 17‑8 lead in the first game and an eight‑point advantage in Game 2, but still rallied to win the match.

“We struggled a little bit on serve‑receiving, but they’re one of the tougher serving teams we’ve played,” Speer said.

Boulder Creek also beat Goldwater last week, sweeping the Bulldogs 25‑18, 25‑16, 25‑18.

Falcons move up to No. 2 in power points

CAVE CREEK – Despite a nagging injury to one of its best players, Cactus Shadows continues to move right along in the 4A Conference. The Falcons swept Higley Sept. 14 to improve to 9‑5 on the season and move up to No. 2 in the 4A‑Division II playoff point standings.

“Defense has definitely stepped it up,” coach Michelle Drechsler said after the Falcons beat Higley 25‑14, 25‑14, 25‑15.

The team has played much of the season without star hitter Sara Pages, who has a leg injury. She may be able to return to the team next week, Drechsler said.

The Falcons now prepare to host the Cactus Shadows Invitational Classic Saturday. Drechsler said matches will be picked based on AIA power point rankings. The first matches start at 9 a.m.

O’Connor drops pair of Northwest Region matches

NORTH VALLEY – O’Connor fell to 1‑3 in the Northwest Region with losses to Boulder Creek and Mountain Ridge last week. The Eagles also played in the Greenway Tournament, but results were unavailable. They entered the event with a 5‑10 overall record. The Eagles play North Canyon and Goldwater this week.