Scully Hits Game-Winner at the Buzzer, Blue Jags Edge Lions in Overtime Thriller

                   Photo by Mike Edwards

By: Mike Edwards

Jason Scully came up clutch for the SMUS Blue Jags in hostile territory, nailing both a game-tying three with 4.8 seconds left in regulation and the game-winner at the buzzer in overtime, to give SMUS a thrilling 68-65 win over their cross town rivals, the Lambrick Park Lions. Scully also broke his previous season high in points, notching 28 and adding 12 rebounds for the Blue Jags.

Lambrick got off to a fast start to open the first quarter, draining three triphectas in the first 4 minutes of the game. But a late Liam Catto three-ball cut the lead to 18-15 for Lambrick Park at the end of the opening period.

The Lions continued to shoot the ball well in the second, but the Blue Jags were able to keep pace despite a tough offensive first half. The Lions had a slight edge at half time, taking a 30-27 lead into the break. Jake Wilmott, Max Pollen and Graeme Hyde-Lay put in 6 points each in the opening half, meanwhile Scully corralled 5 rebounds and dished out 3 assists.

The Blue Jags increased their intensity and came out strong to start the third, taking over the lead and extending it to 6 at one point thanks to their strong full court press. But the Lions battled back, cutting SMUS’ lead to 2 points at the end of the quarter. Heading to the fourth, SMUS had a 47-45 advantage.

After a key and-one from Scully to extend the lead to 6, Lambrick roared back with 8 unanswered points to take 2 point lead with just over 2 minutes to play. Then, with 4.8 seconds on the clock and SMUS with the ball down by 3, Hyde-Lay found Scully who drilled the game-tying three-pointer over a Lions defender to send the game to overtime. Below is a video of Scully's game-tying shot:

 

                               Video by Dave Edwards

The Lions came out firing to start the extra frame taking an early 6 point lead, but the Blue Jags came back with 6 unanswered points of their own to tie the game with just over a minute left. After Lambrick failed to take the lead with less than 10 seconds left, the Blue Jags moved quickly back the other way. The ball once again found its way to Scully, who effortlessly drained the game-winning three point shot at the buzzer to give SMUS the win.

“It's a great feeling in the short term to be able to get the win against one of our main rivals in AA this year.” said Scully after the game. “That being said, we took a step back from our games on the weekend and obviously there is still a lot of room for improvement.”

Aside from Scully’s clutch performance, Wilmott finished with 16 points and 4 steals for the Jags, and Hyde-Lay led the team in assists with 5.

With the win, the Blue Jags improve to 2-0 so far in Victoria Tier 1 League play. Next up, the team travels to Vancouver on Thursday to take part in the Vancouver College Emerald Tournament from December 11-13.