This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Taylorsville • Skyline was flying high, cruising along with hardly any competition in Region 6.
The Eagles had won 11 straight games against in-state opponents then Feb. 10 rolled around. Skyline was hit firmly in the mouth by Judge Memorial in what emerged as a nine-point loss in the second-to-last game of the regular season.
It was unexpected to say the least. Skyline defeated the Bulldogs by 16 less than a month before the setback, but as it turned out, it reinvigorated the Eagles roster. When the two clubs met again in the Class 4A girls' basketball championship at Salt Lake Community College on Saturday, the Eagles weren't about to let history repeat itself.
The Eagles created a sizable lead in the first half, which proved to be just enough in a thrilling 60-57 overtime victory.
"It kind of made us refocus [on] what we needed to do and that we had a lot to work on," Skyline coach Lynette Schroeder said about the previous loss to Judge.
One major difference was the presence of Cameron Mooney on the interior for Skyline. Judge Memorial is predicated on an inside-outside attack through two talented bigs, so with Mooney on the bench, they were able to take advantage. While Vanessa Austin and Mayree Ellis still contributed heavily to the Bulldogs staging a comeback, Mooney, who eventually fouled out with 3:46 remaining in regulation, made their production harder to come by.
"It really showed us that we can't come in overconfident," said Barrett Jessop, who finished with a game-high 20 points. "We really need to know any team can win on any given day. We had to come out stronger than we ever had before to get this win."
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