According to Coach Justin Piergrossi, turnovers are down and team chemistry has helped the Trojans during the steak:
“The last two games, we’ve been doing a good job not turning the ball over as much, so that needs to be continued. Our chemistry is fantastic…because we are playing so many guys, everybody knows that on any given night they might be the guy who has the great game for us…plus having a very unselfish point guard helps.”
According to sophomore guard Paul Phangureh: “Right now everybody is playing really good. All 12 guys are doing their part.”
The Trojans were victorious in their home opener against Hartnell College, 88-72 on Nov. 16. By halftime, Skyline was up by 15 points and by the end of the night, freshman, Jabari Davis finished with a career night, scoring 23 points and grabbing 8 rebounds.
On Nov. 19, Skyline traveled to Gilroy in which they defeated Gavilan 77-70. The Trojans ran out of the gates with an 18-5 run to start the game. Skyline then put themselves ahead by 15 points, but Gavilan fought back with consistent shooting. Freshmen’s Davis and Jeremy Francis had a strong outing, combining for 32 points. Sophomore point guard, Marques Benjamin scored 17 points and dished out 4 assists, while Popovic scored a season high 15 points.
“We got another well-rounded scoring output, four guys in double figures,” said Piergrossi. “We shot 60 percent in the second half and only turned the ball over 12 times.”
Even with a season high winning streak well under way, the Trojans may have faced their first obstacle of the season with an injured Filip Popovic. Last week, the starting forward injured a finger during practice. Popovic is expected to miss two weeks.
“Filip is a big part but we can’t dwell on that too much,” said Phangureh. “We have games to play while he’s out. Guys like Sam, Jabari, and Adrian (Hightower) are stepping up in his absence.”
Despite Popivic missing his first game of the season, Skyline hosted De Anza College on Nov. 22, which saw the Trojans battle down the wire. The Trojans were victorious, winning 75-71. Skyline’s biggest lead of the game was 11 points, but De Anza fought back and kept it close. Sophomore point guard, Marques Benjamin hit a key three-pointer with under one minute to play and freshman guard, Jeremy Francis sealed the win with two free throws. Benjamin scored 14 points and dished out 8 assists; Francis had 15 points and sophomore forward, Sam Wilhoite had 20 points and 10 boards.
“It was a pretty fast paced game for us,” said Phangureh. “We played, came out strong and Jeremy and Marques made some big plays at the end for us and we came out with the win.”
With a season high winning streak on their side, the Trojans headed to Modesto College on Nov.29, which they were defeated 80-70 to the Pirates, ending their streak. Freshmen’s Darren Morrison, Jabari Davis and Jeremy Francis each scored in double figures; Point guard, Marques Benjamin had 9 points and 9 assists.
With their streak over, the Trojans head back home, where they will face Contra Costa College at the College of San Mateo, Tuesday Dec. 6.
