MESA -- What started off as a somber night in the gym at Skyline High School quickly turned into one full of energy and competition, and ended in a 62-58 win for Skyline over Westwood.

 

Before Friday’s contest between the Skyline Coyotes and the Westwood Warriors, Coyotes assistant coach Ryan Jackson presented the brothers of the late Skyline basketball player, Kevin Anaya, with a framed jersey and varsity letter from his time as a Coyote.

 

After a large ovation in honor of Kevin and his family, Kendrick Lamar began to blast through the speakers at the home of the Coyotes, also known as the House of Havoc, and the players hit the floor for warmups before an intense matchup.

 

Before the opening tip, sophomore guard Dayton Harris was asked his thoughts on the ceremony for Kevin and his answer was simple, “Gone but never forgotten.”

 

The game didn’t start the way Coach James Capriotti had intended, his squad trailing 9-2 just moments into the first quarter. After an early timeout called by Capriotti, freshman guard Patrick Herrera buried a deep 3-pointer to ignite a spark in the Coyote offense.

 

The triple from Herrera allowed the Coyotes to go on a 9-0 run and finish the first quarter trailing by only one point, 14-13.

 

The second quarter started to show what the freshman guard could do when he got a hot hand. Herrera started the second by knocking down a mid-range jumper and three straight 3-pointers to put the Coyotes on an early 11-0 run.

 

Sophomore Tyree Tyler continuously crashed the boards, including three rebounds on a single possession. “He’s been the key to this resurgence of victories. As only a sophomore, he has that prototypical body. He’s tall, he’s long and the best part is that he is just starting to find his way as an aggressive player,” said Capriotti post-game.

 

With Skyline leading 31-22 to start the third quarter, both teams' play began to get even more aggressive than it was in the first half.

 

Skyline senior guard Ethan Wallace extended the Coyote’s lead when he was fouled shooting a 3-pointer and knocked down two of three free throw attempts with 1:45 left in the third quarter.

 

Shortly after, Warriors coach Troy Powell was called for a technical foul after disagreeing with a foul call. This was one of five technical fouls called in the game, one of which led to a small skirmish and an ejection.

 

“It was a great high school environment, some unfortunate things happened towards the end, but all in all it was a great environment,” said Powell when asked his about his thoughts on the plethora of technical fouls called in the game.

 

With three minutes left to play, the Coyotes caused a turnover on a crucial possession that allowed them to extend their lead back to double digits on a pair of free throws from junior guard Donovan Jackson.

 

A Skyline timeout with just over a minute and a half to play allowed Capriotti to calm down his team and scheme the final plays of the game. “We needed everyone to calm down and to go over the press break. We knew how to break their defense, but the guys just needed to see it drawn,” stated Capriotti.

 

The fourth quarter was an odd one scoring wise for both teams. Westwood was able to score 17 fourth-quarter points including 15 coming from behind the arc whereas Skyline scored 20 fourth-quarter points on only one made field goal. The Coyotes attempted 22 free throws in the fourth quarter, making 18.

 

Skyline was able to fight through the full-court press and aggressive play from the Warriors and prevail.

 

The Coyotes are back in action next Tuesday as they travel to Red Mountain.