DIXON – Tangling with Highland usually gives the Sauk Valley men's basketball team a good idea of where it stands each season.

After a 79-60 loss to the visiting Cougars on Tuesday night, the Skyhawks have a way to go before reaching their main rival's level.

"We just didn't play very well," SVCC coach Russ Damhoff said. "Defensively, we didn't cover stuff. Offensively, I felt like early on we missed some good opportunities. We probably gave them a little too much respect. Some of our stuff was wide-open on offense, and we made it harder than it was.