One bit of good news for the struggling Skaneateles boys basketball team was that Jimmy Atkinson briefly returned to action last week, still nursing a sore ankle.

Still, Atkinson was not at full strength for last Tuesday’s game at Westhill, and the fast-improving Warriors took full advantage, hurting the Lakers from the outside in a 69-46 defeat.

Outscored in every period, Skaneateles saw Brandon Barron pour in 17 points. Atkinson, in limited minutes, still managed six points, while Austin Gardner had eight points and Ryan McQuiggan also had six points.

Westhill trumped all this by sinking 12 3-pointers as it pulled away. Between them, Jake Redmond, P.J. Gebhardt and Jordan Roland had 10 of those treys, as Redmond led with 16 points, while Roland and Gebhardt put up 13 points apiece.

Just as importantly, Skaneateles struggled on the boards, watching as Westhill’s Jacob Nigolian amass 16 rebounds to go with eight points as teammate Joe Meluni had nine points and 10 rebounds.

Atkinson found himself on the sidelines again when the Lakers visited Homer Friday night, but it didn’t matter as Skaneateles shook off a rough start and beat the Trojans 64-52.

Homer actually led, 12-7, through one period, but the Lakers dominated the rest of the half, outscoring the Trojans 18-4.

For the rest of the game, Skaneateles nursed that margin, aided by Barron, who poured in 26 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Gardner earned eight of his 12 points at the free-throw line, while Ryan McQuiggan finished with 10 points.

Skaneateles visits Cazenovia Tuesday night and goes to Solvay on Friday, needing just one more win to lock up a winning record in 2011-12.