Skyline men’s basketball finished their season strong with a huge win over second place Las Positas 77-74. In honor of Sophomore Night, head coach Justin Piergrossi addressed the home crowd before the game, speaking about each sophomore and their contributions to the program.
Sophomore point guard Aaron Friedkin said that Piergrossi’s speeches highlighted how much he cares for the players and his program.
“To hear [Piergrossi] say those kind words about everybody, it just shows our togetherness and how much he cares, how much we care, how much everybody in the program cares,” Friedkin said.
Piergrossi said that he appreciates all the time and effort his players put into playing basketball at Skyline, so this night is important to him.
“I actually love this night, it’s hard, but I love them getting that attention publicly,” Piergrossi said. “We try not to do it the rest of the year, but they deserve it on this night.”
Skyline’s positive energy from Sophomore Night carried into the start of the game as the Trojans took an 8-0 lead three minutes into the first half.
Sophomore Aidan Carleson said the team knew it would be a competitive game, having beaten Las Positas in their last matchup, 69-68.
“We had beaten them before, so we were coming in kind of confident, but we were also knowing that they’re coming for us,” Carleson said.
Las Positas battled back to tie the game 12-12 halfway through the first half, but were unable to take the lead going into halftime down 32-29.
The Trojans maintained around a 10-point lead for the first 10 minutes of the second half.
However, three-point shots delivered by Las Positas freshman guard Jaden Woodard helped wake their offense up and brought the game back to a tie 65-65 with four minutes left.
Friedkin made just one shot all night, but it was a big one—a three-pointer that brought the score to 68-65 with three minutes left in the game. Fellow guard Brady Carson followed that shot with a clutch three-pointer of his own, sealing the victory for the Trojans.
Piergrossi said what set the stage for Friedkin and Carson’s shots was the absence of sophomore point guard Achilles Woodson, who got into foul trouble and had to be taken out for the last six minutes of the game.

“It was tough without Achilles on the floor, but we had some guys really step up tonight and just be willing to make those tough shots,” Piergrossi said.
Skyline capped their season off with a record of 22-6, good for third place in their conference; they will host their first playoff game next week, with the date to be determined.