After coaching a steady ship and basketball powerhouse for 15 seasons, Mike Lovelace is going to have to get used to riding the rollercoaster that can be girls basketball. The longtime Skyline boys’ coach took over the girls’ program this year and it didn’t take long for him to experience the ups and downs of his new job.
The Eagles opened the season on Dec. 5 with a 55-25 loss to Ferndale.
Ferndale started hot from the field in the first quarter, making 5 of their first 7 three-point shots with a few well behind the arc. Skyline would compete all night long against a very talented Ferndale team that featured both inside and outside scoring threats.
Ferndale would continue to use pressure/trapping defenses to try and cause turnovers and would also finish the game strong from behind the arc shooting 8/19 for 42% for the evening.
Skyline was led in scoring by seniors Anjali Kakarla and Reva Patchava each with 6 points and Adelyn Boucher with 5 points. Abby Yuan led the team with 8 rebounds. Zoie Reichert had 3 steals.
It was a totally different game on Tuesday, Dec. 12, when Skyline faced Hamtramck. The Eagles built a huge lead and cruised to a 56-9 win to even their record at 1-1.
“We got off to a strong defensive start to begin the game and were much more aggressive attacking the basket to create a 14-0 lead,” Lovelace said. “We continued our strong defensive effort and pushing the ball in transition to lead 31-2 at halftime.”
Skyline would increase the lead to have a running clock midway through the third quarter.
Ten players on Skyline scored. Anjali Kakarla had 11 points and Adelyn Boucher scored 10 points. Zoie Reichert, Kennedy Wassef, Abby Yuan and Reva Patchava all had six points. Faith Palmbos and Page Bazzani each had four points. Karma Bailey had 2 points and Vedha Kakarla had one point.
Skyline’s next game is Friday, Dec. 15 at Pioneer.
