The Skyline basketball team has yet to be victorious this year after the first five games.
The team’s most recent loss came Thanksgiving weekend as the team played a double-header on Nov. 29 in a tournament at Diablo Valley College. Skyline first squared off with Consumnes River College and lost 65-69. Despite the loss, freshmen guard Jordan Webster kicked in with 15 points and four assists.
A few hours later, the team played again, and again they came up short. In the second game, Butte College handed them their second loss of the day, edging them out 75-73. Freshman point guard Matt Mitchell had a team-high 18 points and nine assists, but it was not enough to give the Trojans the win.
“We played hard, but for some reason, we just didn’t finish on top,” freshmen forward Craig Williams said.
The team knows that they are a competitive bunch. Considering they lost the last two games by a combined six points, they realize that, with a little more work, they will get a win.
“We have been close in just about every game this year, so we are not a bad team; we just need to play harder down the stretch,” assistant coach Nick Fleres said.
On Nov. 22, the team traveled to the East Bay to take on College of Alameda. It was an unsuccessful trip as the Trojans lost 64-72 but did receive a great game from sophomore forward Sal Vance who came through with a double-double, scoring 22 points and grabbing 20 rebounds.
“I wanted to come out aggressive because I knew I could make things happen in the paint for us, so I just did my thing,” Vance said.
It was Vance’s second straight game scoring 20 or more points. In the team’s home opener, he scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in a 73-82 overtime loss to San Jose City College on Nov.20.
“We have been switching around the line-up, trying to see who does what best, so don’t think we are out of it yet. Coach Fleres said. “We will get it together.”
It seems as if Skyline has not let the slow start get their confidence down.
“We are a young team, so every game, guys are learning new things about the position they are playing,; we’ll be OK,” Head Coach Tony Raffetto said.
