Blue Jags Edge Lions for Seventh Straight Win

                   Photo by Mike Edwards

By: Mike Edwards

Jason Scully equaled his season high with 28 points and added 11 rebounds, and Max Pollen sank two crucial free throws in the final seconds to give the SMUS Blue Jags a 60-57 triumph over the Lambrick Park Lions in Victoria Tier 1 League Play Tuesday night. The win is the Blue Jags’ seventh straight overall, dating back to their January 27 game at Claremont.

 

SMUS got off to a strong start, jumping out to a 17-9 lead after one quarter of play. Scully dropped in 10 points to go along with 4 rebounds in the first frame.

 

Lambrick Park cut into the deficit early in the second, coming within 2 points midway through the frame. But SMUS closed the half strong to take a 34-26 advantage into the break. Scully continued to lead the way with 19 points and 7 rebounds in the opening 20 minutes.

 

The Lions came out strong to start the second half, erasing the 8 point deficit by the end of the third quarter to head to the final frame tied at 46. The Lions took their momentum with them into the fourth, taking a 4 point lead prompting a SMUS timeout. But the Blue Jags responded with a crucial 9-2 run to take a 3 point lead with just over a minute to play. SMUS was able to hold their lead the rest of the way thanks to a pair of Max Pollen free throws for a 60-57 Blue Jags victory.

 

Aside from Scully’s big game, the next highest scorers for the Jags were Graeme Hyde-Lay (11 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists) and Liam Catto (11 points on 2-for-3 shooting from downtown). Meanwhile, Pollen totaled 9 points and 4 assists for SMUS.

 

"I’ve been trying to work on my free throws in the gym.” said Pollen on his two clutch buckets from the charity stripe, “Tonight it paid off when it counted.”

 

Next up for the Blue Jags is another Victoria Tier 1 League tilt at Belmont. The game will tip off at 7:30 PM on Thursday, as the Blue Jags look to keep their momentum rolling as the regular season winds down.