Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2005 | 9:28 a.m.
One year after finishing runner-up in state boys' basketball, the Foothill Falcons were eliminated from playoff contention.
"It's been that kind of year for us," Foothill coach Kevin Soares said after his team's 88-76 loss to Silverado on Tuesday.
Led by sophomore guard Heiden Ratner's 32 points, the Skyhawks fended off two late Foothill runs for their 16th victory of the season.
"I take the blame for not getting them ready for tonight," Soares said. "It was a combination of things and we didn't play hard, but I take the blame."
After closing the first quarter with a 12-2 run, Silverado built a 30-16 advantage midway through the second quarter.
"They did their homework. We struggled with our outside shooting, and that is how it's been all year," Soares said.
Kevin Kreier led the Falcons with 27 points, shooting 5-of-12 from 3-point range.
"The third quarter was tough for us. We went into a lapse on the defensive boards and that caused us to get frantic," Silverado coach Rob Pisano said. "We tried to put the game away early, but we couldn't do anything on the defensive boards."
Foothill pulled within five late in the fourth quarter, but couldn't complete the comeback.
Silverado hosts Coronado on Thursday night. Foothill closes out the season at Liberty on Thursday.
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