Blue Jags Take Care of Trojans on Day 1 of Police Tournament

                  Photo by Mike Edwards

By: Mike Edwards

Graeme Hyde-Lay and Jason Scully scored 19 points each, and the SMUS Blue Jags used a strong second half to defeat the David Thompson Trojans 64-47 Thursday evening in front of a lively crowd in the SMUS double gym.

Both teams got off to slow starts, as the Trojans were in the bonus by the five minute mark of the first quarter. Hyde-Lay scored all 12 of the Blue Jags points in the opening frame to give SMUS a 12-10 lead after one.

The Blue Jags and Trojans continued to play each other evenly for the majority of the second quarter, but SMUS pulled away late in the period to take a 27-20 lead at half time. Hyde-Lay once again led the charge offensively with 16 points, Jason Scully recorded 4 points and 9 rebounds and Max Pollen shot 2-for-3 from downtown for 6 points at the break.

The Blue Jags came out flying to start the second half, opening on a 9-0 run and creating separation from David Thompson. Heading to the fourth, SMUS held a 47-28 advantage. The Blue Jags were able to maintain their cushion in the final period, wrapping up the 64-47 win.

Aside from their 19 point effort, Scully also added a season high 15 rebounds to go along with 2 rejections and Hyde-Lay dished out 5 helpers to lead the Jags attack. The Jags also received notable contributions from Liam Catto (8 points and 6 rebounds) and David Lee who energized the crowd after two consecutive blocks on the same defensive possession.

“We had a slow start but the guys were able to get me some open shots and I was happy to take them.” said Hyde-Lay after the game, “We had a really good effort in the second half to close out the game.”

With the win, the Blue Jags will next meet West Vancouver Secondary School in the Victoria City Police Tournament semi-final. The game will tip off at 7:00 PM Friday night at SMUS.