It’s been a rough start for Skyline basketball in the early stages of the 2011-12 season. With the men’s team on the road facing Cabrillo College trying to notch their first win of the season, the women’s hosted Feather River College for their Nov. 18 matchup.

In their previous meeting, Skyline narrowly defeated Feather River College by a single field goal at the final buzzer. This time around, the Golden Eagles had an opportunity to redeem themselves against a struggling Trojan team.

Skyline has been battling injuries in the early stages of this season. Sophomore Ashley “Ace” Lotti was not in uniform for the Trojans as she dealt with flu-like symptoms. Although as soon as she walked through the gym entrance, her team’s energy skyrocketed as they were at game speed throughout the rest of their pre-game warm up.

Team captain Kelly Huey had her ankle wrapped up earlier in the day as a precaution. She had sprained her ankle earlier this week during practice but looked ready to provide some team leadership on the court.

“We’re excited but focused. We prepared hard for this game,” sophomore Stefanie Johnson said before the game. “I’m sure they remember last time we played.”

The game was sloppy in the opening minutes with teams unable to stick to their defensive assignments. The Golden Eagles were winning the rebound battle, but their offense was nonexistent.

It wasn’t until a rebound was secured by Kelly Huey and taken all the way across the court for a layup that Skyline began to find their game. The Trojans had the lead and refused to let it go.

Skyline took advantage of the mismatches on the floor, feeding Sherine Johnson, who took advantage of her speed and penetrated the Eagle defense for easy opportunities at the rim. This strategy gave the Trojans a 17-point lead with less than 10 minutes to go.

Freshman Karen Jakobs anchored the Trojan defense down the stretch, contesting every attempt to the hoop. In an impressive sequence, Jakobs pulled down a defensive rebound, began the fast break and found a wide open Brittney Kelley for a spot-up jumper.

Feather River College fought hard, but the Trojans weren’t about to give the game away, and they put the Golden Eagles away with a final score of 55-41.

“Last weekend we had a little trouble penetrating and finishing,” Sherine Johnson said after the game. “We worked on it all week, and it paid off.”

When asked about her ankle injury, Huey said that “it feels good.” Her focus shifted to the team’s next game against Solano College: “We’re going to show up to Monday’s practice and work hard like we’ve been doing this week. We know they’re (Solano) a good team, and we gotta focus on them now, not this victory.”

“They played very well,” said Head Coach Trisha Hosley. “They lost a little bit of their focus towards the end of the second, but the leaders on the team acknowledged it and managed the rest of that game.” Hosley, who is in her fifth season as head coach of the women’s basketball program, added, “This was a good win. They got to perform for their friends and family and played a great game.”

The Skyline women’s basketball team will play their next home game against Cerro Coso College on Thursday, Dec. 15.

To see footage from the game, click here.