Skyridge 8th-grade boys capture first league basketball championship

The Skyridge Elementary School eighth-grade boys basketball team finished a playoff run with a win over Western Sierra Collegiate Academy in the SFL title game at E.V. Cain for the program's first championship. Head coach Scott Daly said the team entered the season believing it could compete, though a championship wasn't guaranteed in a league that includes schools such as E.V. Cain, Bowman, Colfax, Foresthill, John Adams, Gateway and others. "I knew we would be competitive and that we'd have a chance," Daly said. "But I also knew that it would be tough. I knew Bowman, E.V. Cain, Gateway and Western Sierra would all be good teams. I thought we'd finish in the top four." The Falcons finished the regular season as the No. 3 seed before making their run through the postseason tournament, which includes all 10 teams in the league with the top four receiving first-round byes. After advancing to the semifinals, Skyridge edged John Adams Lincoln in a tight game before meeting Western Sierra for the championship. The title game was close until Skyridge pulled away in the final quarter thanks to an 18-point effort from James Forbes and 16 points from Calvin Herlehy. "It went back and forth until probably the fourth quarter, but we felt confident the whole game," Daly said. "I could see it in the kids. They were playing at a higher level than they had all year." Defense proved to be the difference. Western Sierra advanced by knocking off Bowman with a barrage of 3-pointers, but Skyridge focused on shutting down the perimeter. "I was harping on them all year about closing out on shooters," Daly said. "In that game, they defended the perimeter the best they had all season." The team was led by a dominant frontcourt duo in Forbes and Herlehy, who Daly said were among the league's top players. Forbes, a 6-foot-4 eighth-grader capable of playing any position on the floor, became a matchup nightmare once he embraced playing inside. "Once Calvin and James got in sync, they were unstoppable," Daly said. "Teams would double James, which left Calvin open. Then if they tried to double Calvin, it left James open." The attention paid to the post also created opportunities for point guard Mack Lambert, who attacked open lanes for easy baskets. "Mack is really good at driving to the middle and making layups," Daly said. "If the lane was open, he took advantage of it." Depth was another challenge for Skyridge throughout the season. Daly had just five eighth-graders, forcing him to rely on younger players to fill out the roster. Seventh-grader Henry Robinson delivered several key moments down the stretch. "He probably hit the last two or three points in three close games," Daly said. "He came up big for us." After suffering a lopsided loss to Bowman midway through the season and a one-point defeat to Gateway shortly after, Skyridge rebounded by winning its final five regular-season games before entering the playoffs with renewed confidence. "We went undefeated the rest of the way to finish the regular season," Daly said. "We felt pretty comfortable that we could get to the championship. Once you get there, anything can happen." For Daly, who has coached youth basketball for about 25 years, what stood out most about the group wasn't just its talent but its attitude. "This was by far one of the most coachable groups of kids I've had in a long time," Daly said. "They came to practice and worked hard every day. I never had an issue with them talking back or anything like that. It was just a great season."