SBC Cup report: Blaze 78-72 St Mirren

Boroughmuir Blaze recorded their tenth straight victory in all competitions as they lifted the 2020 Senior Men’s SBC Scottish Cup at Lagoon on Saturday night with a 78-72 win over St Mirren.

The game’s MVP, Sam Stott (27 points, 6 rebounds), opened the scoring with a three-pointer for Blaze before Ali Salimy notched St Mirren’s first points. Captain Eoghann Dover (12 points, 10 rebounds) began his double-double campaign with a three-pointer which Stott followed up as Blaze raced ahead to an early lead.

The two teams then traded basket for basket with St Mirren working their way back into the game through some great team play which saw five players all opening their accounts. With just two points between the teams, Blaze embarked on an 6-0 scoring run to end the first up by eight. 21-13.

Two free throws from Adam Hammerschmidt (13 points) saw St Mirren score first in the second quarter but Yannick Onifade (12 points) quickly responded for Blaze. Sam Stott scored two more three-pointers, with a single basket from Hammerschmidt splitting them, as Blaze continued to build their advantage.

Nick Collins (13 points, 12 rebounds) added two more free throws for St Mirren but Stott replied with the fourth of his seven three-pointers. Chris Cleary (16 points, 18 rebounds) kept St Mirren’s score rising but another scoring run from Blaze, this time 7-0, saw them earn a comfortable double-digit lead. Two late baskets from outside the arc made little difference for St Mirren as four points from Brendan Mullan kept Blaze well clear at the half. 47-30.

Both teams traded baskets in a slow start to the third quarter as they recorded just six point each in the opening four minutes. A 6-0 scoring run from St Mirren, specifically Cleary, gave St Mirren a lifeline as they reduced the lead to eleven.

Dover and Mullan both responded for Blaze, netting back-to-back baskets, before another 5-0 scoring run from St Mirren in the latter stages made in a ten-point game going into the final quarter. 62-52.

An incredible start to the fourth saw St Mirren record a 6-0 streak inside the opening minute, making it a four-point game. Stott & Onifade restored some of Blaze’s lead before another 6-0 streak, this time from Fergus Harte (19 points), reduced Blaze’s advantage to just two points.

Stott and Cleary traded threes before a 5-0 run from Blaze gave them the breathing space they needed to see out the game. Harte recorded another three-pointer but with a low-scoring end to the game Blaze held on to lift the Scottish Cup. 78-72.