Rumble in the Jungle: Bears Outlast the Blue Jags

December 14, 2024

SMU Sr. Boys v. Mount Boucherie

(photo credit: Carol Horn)

The boys of Boucherie apparently got a good night's rest and had their wheaties this morning, as they have come out absolutely firing to start this game. Through a combination of penetration and finishing inside and knocking down the deep ball, they found themselves on a 15-2 run to begin this game. The Bears’ defence caused the Blue Jags all sorts of difficulties in that first quarter, ultimately resulting in the Bears being up 17-5 at the end of Q1. 

Before the Blue Jags leave the mainland in search of a ferry ride home, they don’t plan to let this game get away from them. The momentum has shifted quickly in the second quarter with SMU going on a nice little run of their own, reducing the lead down to 6. Mount Boucherie is applying a lot of pressure in the half court defensive zone, more than willing to jump the gap for a steal attempt in hopes of turning that into an easy layup on the other end. The tactic has mostly paid off, especially from the Bears #2, Miyazaki, who has been able to get his hands on a lot of passes. 

At the half, the Bears have maintained their lead and find themselves up 30-15. 

Halftime Fact #1: Mount Boucherie’s school's mascot is Boomer the Grizzly Bear

Halftime Fact #2: Steve Nash, legendary two-time NBA MVP graduated from SMU in 1992, just one year after the Co-founder and CEO of Slack, Stewart Butterfield, graduated from SMU.

The Bears just got this crowd in West Van on their feet, as #10 Sehra just gave  #9 Messer an alley-oop pass that finished with a slam-a-jama. Mount Boucherie is looking to run with the momentum felt after the dunk, and have now extended their lead up to 25 points with a few minutes left in the third Q. The Bears have been using some of their big bodies inside to lock their defenders with a seal to get the low post entry pass, then force weak side help which has opened up opportunities to make some passes in the interior leading to easy buckets. At the end of the third quarter the Bears are up 48-25.

SMU is working the ball around in their half-court sets and are able to find open looks, they just need to knock down a few more of their looks. We just saw back-to-back buckets from the Blue Jags #14 Driscoll and #12 Harris, both able to navigate their way to the rim and finish. The Bears #5 Watters has played a big role today on both ends of the court; taking control of the offence at the PG position, finishing his opportunities around the rim and finding his teammates when his penetration attracts help. 

Mount Boucherie had the upper hand for the majority of this battle. They came out with a high level of intensity and challenged SMU to see if they could match it. The Blue Jags short bench with only a few subs almost certainly had an impact, as we have to assume that in the last game of a 3 day tournament those legs weren’t feeling quite as fresh as they would be with a bigger bench.

All in, both teams played a highly entertaining and energetic game of basketball and left the fans, no matter what team they were rooting for, cheering for more. 

Final Score: Mount Boucherie: 69 - SMU: 46.

No Regrets.