Eastlake dominates Skyline in hoops to continue three-game win streak
Continuing their 3-game win streak, the Eastlake Wolves boys basketball team handily defeated the Skyline Spartans, 70-56 Friday, Dec. 20 at Eastlake High School.
As the plateau rivals took the court, both teams traded 2-pointers, working to find their rhythm. Skyline found the gap first to open a 5-point spread that included a 3-point bucket from Harper McGillis. Refusing to be left behind, the Wolves answered with a 3-pointer from Rohan Kalra. While both McGillis and Kalra repeated their shots, Kaleb Dehaan came to life for Eastlake with a 3-point bucket that allowed the Wolves to take the slim 15-14 lead to end the opening quarter.
The back and forth continued in the second quarter but it appeared the Spartans were beginning to fade. As Eastlake remained hot with 3-point buckets from Kalra, Dehaan and now Wes Schmidt as well, the visitors relied on 2-pointers and free throws to stay in the competition. The Wolves added 16 points compared to 11 for the Spartans in the second quarter, 12 from 3-point range, to increase their advantage, 31-25 at the half.
Opening the third quarter with another 3-point bucket from Kalra, Eastlake made it evident—the Wolves had no plan to ease the pressure. The Spartans did what they could to stay alive with 2-point baskets and free throws, but they simply could not keep up with the growing momentum of the home team. As the quarter progressed and it seemed things could not get any worse, Nathan D’Souza came alive from 3-point land for the Wolves. As they completed the third quarter with an additional 19 points for Eastlake, compared to a 14-point addition for Skyline, the Wolves had a comfortable 50-39 lead going into the final period.
After a two-quarter drought of 3-pointers for the Spartans, both Graham Hohman and McGillis delivered for Skyline in the fourth. But an additional 3-pointer from Gabriel Prock helped the Wolves maintain their insurmountable lead. While the Spartans had their best point-scoring quarter in the fourth, it simply was not enough to overcome the consistency of the home team. An additional 17 points for Skyline, in the end, could not compare to the 20-point best quarter for Eastlake as the Wolves won outright, 70-56.
Eastlake Point Guard Rutul Tarambale described this game as a team defining win. Tarambale said, “The energy was high from the team, to the parents, to the crowd. We needed to really come out with energy, and as a team we did exactly that. We were energized with every play and kept our focus to extend our lead.”
The Eastlake Wolves will play the Interlake Saints in the new year on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025 at Interlake High School at 7:15 p.m.
