Blue Jags Top Lions in Physical Affair to Win South Island Tournament

                                    Photo by Mike Edwards

By: Mike Edwards

The SMUS Blue Jags put forward one of their best defensive performances of the season, defeating the Lambrick Park Lions 61-47 Saturday afternoon to win the South Island Tournament. For the 10 graduating seniors on the team – all of whom have made great contributions to the SMUS basketball program over the years – it was the final home game of their high school basketball careers.

The Blue Jags got off to a good offensive start in the first quarter, but Lambrick Park stayed in the game thanks to a number of second chance points off offensive rebounds. Max Pollen led the way with 9 points in the opening frame as SMUS took a 19-16 lead.

The story continued to be the physicality on the boards in the second, with possession hotly contested on each and every missed shot. The Jags were able to up their hustle in the rebounding department and that reflected on the scoreboard, as they widened their lead to 32-21 at half time. Callum Montgomery (4 points and 6 rebounds) and Jason Scully (7 points and 4 rebounds) led the Blue Jags on the boards in the opening half.

The two teams played each other evenly in the third, as the Blue Jags were able to maintain a 10 point cushion entering the fourth quarter. The Lions continued to hang around and stay within reach in the final period, until a late Graeme Hyde-Lay triple followed by a Scully and-one put Lambrick Park away for the 61-47 Blue Jags victory.

Scully finished as the high point man on the afternoon, scoring a game high 21 points to go along with 9 rebounds and 3 blocks. Meanwhile, Hyde-Lay finished with 13 points and 4 steals, Pollen chipped in with 11 points and 3 rebounds and Montgomery totaled 8 points and 8 boards for the Jags.

“We were really happy with how we defended.” said Scully on the team’s strong shutdown effort, “We struggled at times on the boards but we were still able to find ways to maintain our lead.”

With the win, the Blue Jags earn the number one seed for the South Island in next week’s Island Tournament, where they will look to qualify for Provincials with a top three finish. The tournament will begin on Thursday at Kwalikum High School.