The Skyline Trojans lost to Sierra College on Saturday, Dec. 1, in a 72-64 defeat at the City College of San Francisco Tournament. Skyline came into Saturday’s game with a 3-3 record, looking to make improvements to their win column. However, Sierra College did not make it easy for them.
Early in the game, the Trojans ran much of their offense through their big man, sophomore Daniel Zorb, who had a strong presence in the post during the entire game. Sierra continued to make threes throughout the game, stopping any momentum built up by the Trojans with a bucket.
During one of those runs, Noah Haynesworth threw down a vicious dunk to cut the deficit to four points.
In the last five minutes of the first half, Skyline was never down more than seven points and found themselves in the bonus. The Trojans went three for eight from the charity stripe in the last minutes of the half and failed to capitalize on the free points handed to them. The end of the first half saw the Trojans only down by five points with a score of 34-39.
Coming out of halftime, Sierra College went on a nine to zero run, making two threes and an and-one, to put them up 14 points over the Trojans. Skyline responded with a pair of threes from their own from freshman guard, Jerry Tang and sophomore wing, Moises Sandoval.
The Trojans were within striking distance all game, but Sierra College’s full court press stifled the back court. Some costly turnovers and ill-advised shots kept them out of reach.
A few late baskets came from sophomore wing, Isaac Loera, that cut the deficit to six points with a few minutes left in the game. A couple more buckets from Sierra College and the final horn would sound off with Skyline headed to the losers bracket.
The Trojans, led by Coach Justin Piergrossi, are outright in their efforts to recruit local players each year. 190 out of 214 players, that played under Piergrossi, came from the Bay Area. The sense of community Piergrossi brings in by recruiting local players helps the fans to feel more like a unit since they have seen the same kids playing for years.
“We have six sophomores this year and a lot of freshmen who are hungry and excited to be playing here,” Piergrossi said. “That passion usually carries over to a substantial improvement over their career.”
After the game, the Trojans were sitting on a 3-4 record, though there is still a full regular season to be played. Antonio Hughes, a former Skyline player, currently playing in his senior season at St. Francis University on a full scholarship, talked about his time at Skyline.
“Coach P really pushed us to be our best,” Hughes said. “We may not have had the most talented team, but we learned, throughout the season, how to play as a unit. Team basketball is a staple of the Skyline program.”
The Trojans have been seeing a great turnout at their games, nearly filling up the stands. Students and faculty alike, have been seen rooting for their school each game.
“I love watching Skyline games,” Riley Dador, a Skyline student said. “It helps to feel a little more connected to the school.”
Whether it be at home or away, you will see Trojans fans rooting on their team until the final buzzer goes off. The Trojans finished the weekend 0-2 in the tournament, losing to Diablo Valley College, by two points in a nail biter. Skyline now has a 3-5 record.
But don’t fret, there’s still a lot of Skyline basketball left to be played.
