Skyline Varsity Men’s Basketball opened the season with an overtime win on Thursday against the Salem Rocks, with a final score of 62-56. This is the first time Skyline’s varsity team has defeated the Rocks.  Skyline had a slow start, but they began to get into a groove as the game progressed.

Both teams were obviously nervous from the first tip, but the seniors on Skyline were able to settle down their teammates and get into a groove. “I mean its exciting, and we try to set the tone early, we really stress senior leadership so I’m just trying to help lead the younger players on the team” said Skyline senior Marshal Alexander-White. Salem had the lead going into halftime with a score of 25-26.

In the second half of the game, Skyline began to settle down and started playing as a team. They came out of the half hot, hitting shots left and right.  Freshman, Jack Ammerman, who had never played a high school basketball game before, knocked down shots from the 3 point line giving the Eagles a spark late in the game.  “Honestly I was pretty nervous, but once I got out there and knocked down the first shot it was pretty good and I got into a rhythm,” Ammerman said.

The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth battle between the two teams.  Neither team was able to establish a significant lead until the Rocks went up late in the quarter. In the final seconds of the game with Salem up by 2, Skyline senior Johnathon Muir-Cotton went to the free throw line.  “I truly believed that he was gonna knock them down, I told him ‘John this is what we do everyday in practice,’” Alexander-White said.  Muir-Cotton knocked down both free throws, sending the game into overtime.

In overtime, Skyline dominated the Rocks allowing them only one point.  The Eagles’ seniors took over the game and led their team to victory. “I think we played well, we really fought hard at the end. There were a couple times where we could have lost it for sure, but we made the right plays and got the dub,” Alexander-White said, who scored 11 points in the game.  Skyline takes on their rival the Huron River Rats on Wednesday Dec. 17.