O'Connor racking up big points early on
by Jason Stone

NORTH VALLEY – It might not have matched the scoring output of the Phoenix Suns' 161‑157 win over the New Jersey Nets last week, but Sandra Day O'Connor played in the high school version last week.

Two Eagles players broke the 30‑point barrier Dec. 5 when O'Connor outlasted South Mountain 110‑101 in South Phoenix. Curtis Mitchell scored a school‑record 37 points and Ethan Esch added in 30 to keep the Eagles perfect through seven games.

"I think it's a case where if we shoot the ball well we can compete with just about anybody," coach Will Jones said. "But I think we've got a long way to go before we reach our potential."

The game against South Mountain was a shootout from the start. The teams combined for 52 points in the first quarter, which was a sign of things to come. O'Connor held a 52‑48 lead at halftime and extended that lead to double figures in the third quarter.

Four players scored in double figures for O'Connor, which has five players averaging in double figures this season. Mitchell added 14 rebounds to his school‑record point total, and Esch missed out on a triple‑double by only one steal. He amassed 12 assists and nine steals.

"I think the players are just buying into the system more," Jones said about this year's early success. "We tweaked a few things offensively to get some more open looks to the basket. The guys are pretty smart, they're self‑motivated, and they know we have to get out and run and press and do those things."

The Eagles begin Northwest Region play this week with a Dec.12 home game against Kingman before playing another non‑region game Dec. 14 at Paradise Valley.

"We need to get better before we get into the heart of region play," Jones said.

Jaguars get fill of Pepsi

ANTHEM – A win in one of three games at the Pepsi Invitational in Flagstaff last weekend has given Boulder Creek a 2‑4 record as it enters region play.

The Jaguars will open league play Dec. 15 at Mountain Ridge and home Dec. 19 against Trevor Browne. Boulder Creek will then face LaJoya in a non‑region game Dec. 21 before taking a short holiday break.

Boulder Creek is coming off a tournament in which it beat Snowflake 81‑54, but lost to Coconino and Prescott.

Goldwater hits  rough stretch

NORTH VALLEY – Victory has been so close to Goldwater, the Bulldogs can practically taste it. Instead, three heartbreak, close losses have the team carrying a losing streak into the opening week of region games.

In a span of seven days through Dec. 8, Goldwater lost consecutive games to Desert Mountain, Peoria and Centennial by a combined 10 points.

Three Goldwater players scored at least 20 points against Peoria Dec. 5, but it still resulted in a two‑point loss (76‑74). Ross Williams scored 24 points, Kevin Alward had 23 and Lee Ames poured in 21, but Peoria got the last laugh after blowing a double‑digit lead in the first half. Three nights later, Goldwater gave Centennial a tough time on the road, but still came up short 71‑68.

The Bulldogs will try to reverse their fortunes this week against Trevor Browne and O'Connor, the team's first two region opponents.

Falcons add players, search for 1st win

CAVE CREEK – Cactus Shadows faced Pinnacle Dec. 12 still searching for the team's first victory. The Falcons (0‑4) dropped a pair of games last week at Sinagua and home against Independence before facing rival Pinnacle. The game was played past press time.

The Falcons integrated football players back to the team last week, including key forwards Phillip Aholt and Kyle Watkins. The team will play at least four games this week as it is part of the Horizon Tournament Dec. 14‑16.

Wells Fargo 2 Region play begins Dec. 19 at home against Sunnyslope.

Reach the reporter at jason@thedesertadvocate.com.