Butch Patel Trojans center Matt Fochtman scored 12 of his 16 points in the first half. College of the Redwoods was looking up at the 6-foot-7 freshman, who got whatever shot he wanted.

With one emphatic dunk, Darren Morrison left no doubt that he’s fully recovered from a serious knee injury that caused him to miss all of last season.

Morrison’s two-handed jam midway through the second half was just one of the many big baskets the 6-foot-2 guard hit down the stretch, propelling host Skyline College to a 86-73 non-conference win on Saturday over the College of the Redwoods. The Trojans (11-7), winners of three straight, open up Coast Conference play Wednesday at Los Medanos in Livermore. Skyline seems to be playing its best basketball of the season. Now it has to keep it up.

“I think we’ve played our best three games in our past three games,” Trojans coach Justin Piergrossi said, referring to wins over Hartnell, West Valley and Redwoods. “We’re not only winning, but we’re doing the things that we’ll need to keep doing come league time.”

As in playing solid help defense, rebounding with authority and displaying excellent ball movement. Oh, and one other thing: attacking the basket. No one did that better than Morrison, who scored a game-high 22 points, including 17 in a second half that saw him shoot 6 for 10 from the floor. Morrison consistently carved through the heart of the Corsairs’ defense.

When Redwoods (11-8) whittled a 21-point deficit to 12 with 11:11 remaining, Morrison drove through the lane and dropped a floater over three defenders with the shot clock winding down. When the Corsairs got to within 70-63 with 5:25 left, Morrison posted up on the right baseline and hit a tough leaner in-close. And when Redwoods cut its deficit to six points for a third time at 76-70 with 3 minutes to go, Morrison split the Corsairs’ defense for another crucial basket.

For good measure, he hit two free throws on the team’s next possession to seal the outcome, 80-70, with 1:08 to go. So instead of blowing a huge lead the Trojans were able to pull away at the very end, thanks to the team’s heart and soul. Morrison, who suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee in a preseason scrimmage before the start of the 2006-07 season, was a big reason why Skyline won only seven games last year. It’s no surprise with him healthy that the Trojans are off to their best start since Piergrossi took over the program four years ago.

“Darren has got great leadership qualities,” Piergrossi said. “He wants the ball in those big moments. When we needed him to make plays, he did. He attacked the lane and created for himself and others, and I couldn’t ask for more.”

Said Morrison: “(The second half) was an opportunity to go and make something happen because anyone on this team can do it. Today maybe it was my turn, the next game it could be someone else. I’m just glad to be playing.”

So are his teammates and coaches. After a flurry of ties and lead changes in the opening  minutes, Morrison hit a driving layup, was fouled and converted the free throw to give the Trojans a 20-17 lead they would not relinquish. Skyline never saw its lead dip below six points the rest of the way. Trojans center Matt Fochtman scored 12 of his 16 points in the first half. Redwoods was looking up at the 6-foot-7 freshman, who got whatever shot he wanted.

The Trojans were at their best when they got into fast-break mode and slashed to the basket. They were also effective whipping the ball along the perimeter and inside-out, which created excellent shots from all around the court. When they dumped the ball into Fochtman, he either powered his way through defenders or simply shot over them. When he got double-teamed, he made some nice passes that led to easy buckets.

Shawn Echols, Fochtman’s teammate at Mills High last year, finished with 13 points. Skyline’s best perimeter defender, Echols, along with the Freeman brothers, Ronney and Rodney, flooded the passing lanes as the trio combined for six steals. Bryan Ngo, the team’s leading scorer, added 17 points. If the Trojans continue to play cohesively and cut down on their turnovers — they had 24 for the game — a return to the postseason is a distinct possibility.

Morrison is confident that will happen. He knows the team still has room to improve, and it starts with limiting careless mistakes and valuing each possession as gold. One thing is for sure: Morrison is back and better than ever. He’s a proven winner, having led Price High of Los Angeles to two state Division V championships, and now hopes to lead the Trojans back into the playoffs for the first time in five years.

“We can’t relax,” Morrison said. “That’s when we get in trouble. When we’re in attack mode we’re at our best. We have to rely on each other to keep playing hard. If we play as a team, I feel we can beat anyone.”