Highland blasts Skyline to wrap up second place in Region 6

The Highland boys’ basketball team is the kind of squad that higher-ranked clubs won’t want to face in the state tournament.

The Rams might not be the best shooting team, but they play intense, physical defense and have the players that can make big plays.

Those skills all were on display on senior night Friday as Highland blasted Skyline 63-27 to secure second place in Region 6 behind nationally ranked Olympus.

“Our goal is to turn it up for state,” said Rams coach Jim Boyce, who was a bit emotional after the game as was star player Elijah Shelton.

Both coach and player obviously savored the senior night blowout.

Boyce watched his son Travis play his last home game.

“It was an emotional, special night for me to send my oldest son off on senior night,” the Highland coach said. “It makes me feel old.”

Shelton, who led all scorers with 15 points, said the win was a good way to send out the six seniors on the Highland squad.

“We’ve been playing for four years,” he said. “It was great to win our last game on our home floor. It’s good going into state after that beatdown against Olympus. We are hoping to bounce back.”

Seniors Richard Tialavea and Trayton Keyes scored 13 and 10 against the Eagles, who Boyce said were missing a couple of key players.

The Rams started slow in a first quarter that was tied four times. But they used a 10-2 run led by a Shelton steal to close and take a 28-17 lead into intermission.

Skyline had no answers in the second half as Highland, which finishes the regular season Tuesday at Murray, outscored the Eagles 35-10 to win going away on the Rams’ historic home floor.

Highland might not be among the ranked teams that will garner much talk before the Class 5A tournament, but the Rams are not a team to be taken lightly.