BLAZER5 GAMING SWEEPS RAPTORS UPRISING GC, ADVANCING TO THE NEXT ROUND OF THE TURN BRACKET PLAY

Blazer5 Gaming came off a three game win streak from group play in THE TURN tournament. They faced off against Raptors Uprising GC in round 1 of bracket play on July 12. Blazer5 started the game by jumping to an early Q1 lead 20-12. Blazer5 helped create an advantage that would put them in a comfortable position that could help them take control of the game. Q2 was a shootout between both teams, with a 21-22 quarter in favor of Raptors Uprising GC. Despite the quarter, Blazer5 would lead by 7 (41-34) going into the half.

Raptors Uprising was desperate to take control of the game, applying defensive pressure and winning the Q3 by 1 (14-15). Despite their effort, Blazer5 still leads 55-49 with strong performances from the backcourt, Claude and Harby supporting the lead.

Raptors Uprising made a strong effort in crunch time, but it wasn’t enough to separate the score. They tied the scoring total in Q4 17-17. Blazer5 stayed strong and managed the game well, resulting in another win. Scoring efforts were led by the backcourt by Claude with 27 points on 8/11 shooting and Harby, who dropped 20 on 8/10 from the field and 4/5 from three. Lavish also had an excellent performance with 17 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists.

Blazer5 had their eyes set on Game 2 to sweep Raptors Uprising and move on to Round Two. Both teams started hot to open the game with a Q1 total of 22-21 in favor of Raptors Uprising. Claude had a great start contributing 12 points to the Q1 total. Q2, it was much of the same, with Raptors Uprising winning that frame 21-19. This was a tight nit matchup, with both teams desperate to close the match with a win. Blazer5 had an impressive Q3 that put them in a prime position to steal this game from Raptors Uprising. Harby came alive this quarter, doubling his first-half total to dropping 8 points in Q3 to help Blazer5 win the quarter 20-14, the highest point differential in any quarter this game. Blazer5 took the lead 60-57 going into Q4.

A total team effort in the final stretch was enough to close out a tough matchup and win Q4 by 1 point (19-18), sweeping Raptors Uprising and moving on to Round Two. Claude finished with 31 points and 13 assists, Harby with 23 points shooting 5/7 from three, and KayAus with a well-rounded stat line of 11 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals on 5/6 shooting. Blazer5 will be challenged to play NBL OZ Gaming in Round Two of bracket play.