By Marc Buchanan

| Special to The Tribune

The saying "lightning never strikes twice" doesn’t seem to apply to the Skyline boys basketball team.

In three games this season, the Eagles have trailed or been tied as time wound down in the fourth quarter. On each occasion, Garrett England hit a shot at the buzzer to give his team the victory.

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At a glance

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Big number » 10. Number of years since the Taylorsville girls basketball team had earned a region title, a streak that was broken when the Warriors defeated Viewmont.

Big player » Jackson Roper, Taylorsville boys basketball. Roper scored 12 points and hit the game-winning shot against Hunter to keep the Warriors alive for the state tournament.

Big game » Olympus at Skyline boys basketball, Friday, 7 p.m. Skyline won the first meeting between the two teams and Olympus is eager to return the favor. Skyline can clinch the Region 7 title with a win, while Olympus can claim a share with a victory.

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The 6-foot-4 junior forward can’t explain why he has been involved in so many clutch plays this season, but knows everyone needs to keep playing until the buzzer sounds.

"Against Syracuse, we were down by one with five seconds left in the game and the ball went inside," said England, who entered the final week of the regular season with 31 made 3-point shots. "Next thing I knew, the ball got kicked out to me, I shot it and it went it. It felt amazing to hit a game-winning shot. I didn’t think it would happen again."

One week later, Skyline was tied with Park City and had the ball with one second left on the clock. Coach Derek Bunting drew up a lob play that got broken up by a defender, but England still managed to grab the ball and lay it in for the win.

"Against Park City, Garrett made such an athletic catch, and his ability to lay it in despite the pass being deflected shows how good he is," said Bunting. "He stayed calm the entire time."

England’s most recent heroic effort occurred against Cedar. The Eagles were tied when England knocked down a 3-point shot as time expired in overtime to give Skyline the win.

"It’s been a phenomenal run. In all my games as a player and a coach, I can barely remember one or two game-winners — it just doesn’t happen all that often," said Bunting. "The most impressive thing is that Garrett has had three opportunities to hit game-winning shots and he has hit all three."

As Skyline prepares for its fifth straight trip to the state tournament, England is confident that if his team needs another game-winning shot, he will be able to come through.

"We need to work hard and stay focused in each game, but if it comes down to a final shot, I’m a little more comfortable after being there before and I’ll just try to do the same thing I’ve already done," said England.