Offensive explosion sparks Blazers to home win over Mighty Mikinocks
An incredible 48-point second quarter vaulted the CMU Blazers into a 70-45 halftime lead over Turtle Mountain Community College on Saturday afternoon after trailing the Mighty Mikinocks 27-22 after one.
On Friday night it was the visitors who pulled away late in the game to get the preseason win thanks to a fourth period that saw the Mikinocks outscore their opponents by 14 points, pushing past CMU for a 89-83 win.
Saturday was a different story altogether, as Isaiah Cole sparked the offence with 29 points off the bench, 21 coming in the first half, where the former River East Kodiak proved to be more than the Mikinocks could handle, off the dribble and above the rim. Among his highlight reel quarter, the 6'4 rookie drove the lane relentlessly, throwing down an open court slam dunk to make it 38-35, capitalizing on two old school three-point plays from inside the paint and then energizing the crowd with a three-pointer of the long distance variety that gave the home team a 54-39 lead.
Javan Pries energized the Blazer's offence as well, going 2 of 3 from downtown and dropping-jaws with his around-the-back reverse lay-up that ballooned the lead for CMU to 68-45 seconds before the halftime buzzer. The rookie guard would finish the game with 12 points.
Leading 70-45 at the half, CMU was firing on all cylinders. The Blazers carried the momentum into the third quarter, outscoring the Mikinocks by 10. It was high-fives all around as Scott Martin would pick up his first win as CMU head coach with a 120-89 victory in the final NIAC preseason game of the 2019-20 men's basketball schedule.
Pacifique Jubilate was another first-year forward to contribute in a major way statistically-speaking for the home team. The product of St-Norbert Collegiate posted a double-double, scoring 20 points and adding 14 rebounds off the bench, shooting 9 of 15 from the floor. While Jubilate was finding success with his game in the paint, veteran guard Seth McKenzie had a hot hand from the perimeter. The third-year Blazer did one better than his 19 points on Friday night, with a 20 point performance on Saturday, after going 5 of 9 from downtown.
Print This Article
