Eagles bounce back

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Skyline had a big obstacle to overcome in Murray's 6-foot-7 David Collete on Tuesday. Not only does the Spartans' center have height but he's athletic and agile.

But after losing a close game to West last Friday, the Eagles were determined to get back on the winning track.

And with 24 points from sharpshooter Jaden Jackson, the Eagles pulled off a 55-50 win to improve their region record to 3-1.

"That [West] game was a tough one to lose, losing on a buzzer beater like that," said senior Brian Orr, who chipped in with 15 points. "We got a little bit nervous in the fourth quarter but to have great shooters like Jaden [Jackson] and Chase [Dunford], it just opens things up."

Even thought the teams have different styles -- Skyline is a guard-oriented team and Murray's offense goes through the middle -- the teams were neck-and-neck throughout the first quarter.

Both teams tried to push the tempo in the second but that resulted in some sloppy passes, which led to numerous turnovers.

But a three by Jackson turned the tide, bringiny the Eagles within onepoint at 16-15 and when Collette left the game with the scored tied at 20-20, the Eagles made the most of it. Skyline got a three-point play from Taurus Dickerson and Dunford drilled a three before halftime to push the lead to 26-22.

"We were really sloppy with the ball and we got in a hurry," said Murray coach Jason Workman. "We had our chances to close the gap in the second half."

Skyline pulled away at the end of the third quarter and when the lead hit eight with 5:26 remaining, the Eagles possessed the ball longer and were patient on offense.

"We had a sense of urgency and we played good team defense," Skyline coach Bernie Graziano said. "We made some stops, we had poise and we made some big free throw shots."

Skyline was in bonus in the last part of the fourth quarter and sealed the win at the free throw line. The Eagles were 16 of 25 with their free throws.

Collette had 21 points to lead Murray.