Blue Jags Falter in Loss to Roughriders

                  Photo by Mike Edwards

By: Mike Edwards

Plagued by turnovers, the SMUS Blue Jags opened their two game exhibition trip to Washington State with a rather forgettable performance against Port Angeles High School, dropping the contest 55-45 in front of a sizable crowd Friday evening.

Both teams struggled shooting the ball to start the game, as SMUS adjusted to some slight rule changes including the 35 second shot clock. The Jags held an 8-6 lead after one quarter of play on a late corner three from Jake Wilmott.

The Blue Jags opened the second on a 6-0 run, however the Roughriders countered with a 13-0 run of their own to close the half to take a 19-14 lead into the break. Jason Scully led the Jags with 7 points in the opening half and Graeme Hyde-Lay dished out 3 assists.

The Blue Jags were able to draw even with the Roughriders at 22 early in the third, but Port Angeles pulled away late in the frame to take a 36-26 lead heading into the fourth. The two teams traded buckets for the majority of the final quarter, and a late comeback push from SMUS was too little and too late as the Roughriders walked away with the 55-45 victory. It was SMUS’ lowest offensive output of the year.

Scully finished with 22 points to lead the Jags offensively, meanwhile Hyde-Lay recorded a team high 6 assists and Matty McColl hauled in 8 rebounds for SMUS. Alex Caton also put forward a strong showing off the bench, with 5 points on 67% shooting in his first game action of the season, after having been sidelined by a shoulder injury suffered last summer.

“We had a good week of practices before these games which let me get back up to speed and test my shoulder.” said Caton on how his shoulder felt in his first game back, “It was great to get back out there with the guys although the result was not what we were hoping for.”

The Blue Jags will look to get back on track Saturday evening with a matchup against Vashon Island High School at 4:00 PM. Following that game the team will return home for a date with Nanaimo District Secondary School on January 5.