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Crisp passing was there at the beginning of each half, stingy defense was around all night and, at the end of the evening, those attributes propelled Skyline into a tie at the top of the Region 7 girls' basketball standings.

The host Eagles never trailed Tuesday in avenging an earlier loss at Mountain View. This time, it was Skyline with a 39-32 victory that puts the Eagles into a tie for the region lead with the Bruins.

"Last game, I think we didn't really play as a team, but this time we did," said Skyline senior Olivia Elliss, who led all players with 11 points. "We moved the ball really well. We just found the open player and made the extra pass."

In fact, six different Eagles were credited with at least one assist. Shaylana Davis, who had three, set the tone with the first basket of the game as she found Kyla Paulus for an open shot.

Skyline (11-5, 6-1) jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first quarter and had that same eight-point margin in the second period when Hillary Weixler, on a pass from her sister Sara, scored to put the Eagles up 14-6.

Mountain View (12-4, 6-1) saw its seven-game winning streak come to an end and was playing without standout Gentry Oldham, whose season came to a close with an ACL injury.

But the visiting Bruins, led by Ariana Kailiponi's ten points, had a knack for finishing quarters with a flourish on Tuesday and were able to stay within striking distance.

Kailiponi bombed in a three-pointer with 1:21 left in the first half and Tahlia White got a bucket with four seconds before intermission to make the score 16-13.

"I don't think that every really got to us. We felt that we were in control," Elliss said. "Our defense is something we take pride in and we knew that defense would keep us in control of the game."

In the fourth quarter, Mountain View was held to only one field goal until the last two minutes. By the time Kailiponi uncorked another trey with 1:43 left, the lead for Skyline had grown to nine points, and the host Eagles needed to hit enough free throws to stave off the Bruins.

"Part of tonight was figuring out what next [after Oldham's injury]. Who's going to fill what roles and figure out how it's going to work," Mountain View coach Alan Groves said. "But Skyline held us to 32 points and that's what you've got to do to win tight, tough region battles."

The Bruins' offensive struggles were such that Skyline, despite coughing up seven turnovers in the third quarter, actually extended the lead from three to six points.

Hillary Weixler scored seven for the victors while Laurel Tomlinson added six.

"I give credit to my girls. This time, they came out with a lot of energy and intensity," Skyline coach Lynette Schroeder said. "I think that was the difference at the start of the first half and the start of the second half." —

Storylines

• Skyline forced its way into a tie with Mountain View atop the Region 7-4A standings with the victory Tuesday.

• Passing was key for the Eagles, who had six players get credit for at least one assist.

• Mountain View was minus one of its key players as senior Gentry Oldham is out for the season with a knee injury.