With just over three minutes left in the game, Skyline was down six points and facing elimination from the playoffs before they even got there.On Saturday, Feb. 21 the Cañada Colts hosted the Skyline Trojans in their final game of the season. This was an important game for the Trojans, for a victory would place them in third and seal their spot in the playoffs over Las Positas.Skyline sharpshooter Mike Lavelle (#34) opened the game up with a three pointer from the wing. The Trojans controlled the game the whole first half with a five point lead at halftime.The second half started off well, with Lavelle hitting two buckets and two free-throws. Skyline spread themselves further with a double digit lead, but Cañada went on a 12-0 run which help them gain the lead with 13 minutes left in the game.Once the Colts gained the lead, neither team could get themselves in a scoring rhythm. For nine consecutive minutes of the game, Skyline was only able to hit one free throw. Fortunately the Trojans got back in the swing of things in the final minutes of the game. Sean Echols (#15) made a huge block that lead to a fast break and a 3-point play by Rodney Freeman (#24). This exhilarating play also returned the lead to Skyline, going on an 11-2 run to finish off the game, not allowing another point to be scored by Cañada after regaining the lead.Clutch free-throws in the last minutes by Rodney Freeman secured the victory against the Colts and a playoff spot at third-place in the conference, with the final score being 58-55.”The win against Cañada really tested our resiliency,” Coach Justin Piergrossi said. They finished off their regular season with a conference record of 6-6 and an overall record of 17-12.

Skyline is set to start their post-season on the road against West Valley College tonight, Feb. 25 @ 7:00. Piergrossi also stated, “I am extremely proud of this team. Their commitment and work ethic has been fantastic all year; they deserve this opportunity to participate in the state tournament.”