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Solanco Falls Short Against Garden Spot

BY MONA STEINHAUER

With just one game last week, Solanco hit the road to New Holland for a matchup with Garden Spot (9-8 overall) looking for their first Section Three win. The Spartans, however, looking to move up in the standings, used a strong fourth quarter to finish on top, 45-36.

“We had a good game plan going in and we executed it for the majority of the game,” said head coach Chad McDowell. “Unfortunately, we had some costly turnovers at inopportune times. Garden Spot’s big girl, Taylor Soehner, is a solid post player and Jaelyn Olmeda and Hannah Wood did a good job defending her and held her in check throughout the game.”

Soehner finished with 14 points, including five in the second and third quarters, but managed just one in the pivotal fourth.

Solanco got off to a good start, winning the first quarter 10-8 but then hit just one field goal in the second and fell behind 17-14.

“They went to a 1-3-1 half court trap which confused us,” McDowell pointed out. “We had several possessions in a row where we turned the ball over and Garden Spot capitalized with easy baskets.” Six different players scored in the third quarter as the two teams traded buckets. Spot finished in front 15-14, extending their lead to four with eight minutes left. The hosts hit just two field goals down the stretch but canned 9-of-14 free throws and outscored Solanco 13-8 to pull away. “In the fourth quarter we tried to extend the game as much as possible and Garden Spot made nine free throws to help them secure the win,” said McDowell. “It was nice to have Hannah back after being out with an injury since the third game of the season. She was limited in minutes but did an excellent job.

“Paige Althoff played some quality minutes off the bench,” he added. “She’s been a steady contributor all season long. Jenna Ehlers had five points off the bench and brought some energy to the team.”

Olivia Lasko pulled down a team-high 13 rebounds, stepped up for three steals, and scored 11 points in the loss. Kendal Janssen added nine points and grabbed five boards along with Ehlers. Josie Janssen (4 points), Olmeda (2 points, 4 rebounds), Althoff (2 points), Kara Peace (2 points) and Wood (1 point) also contributed.

WRESTLING

Despite winning the last four bouts of the night, Solanco’s matmen suffered a 34-31 setback against visiting Warwick on a night they celebrated their seniors.

After recognizing Connor Musser, Wade Adams, Weston Bare, Steven Williams and Robert Castagna, the Mules fell behind early against Warwick and never quite recovered.

“Even though we were missing two starters out with injuries, I felt it was a winnable match,” said head coach Tony Mendez. “It just made it a little more difficult. We moved Nathan Smith to 120 and Weston Bare up to 126 to make up for Steven being out. Nate, a sophomore, was winning, but got caught and gave up a fall. He’s a hardnosed worker and was ready to wrestle at a higher weight,” he continued.

Solanco suffered a major decision and a pair of falls before getting on the board with Jaden Summers’ (189) 4-3 win over Blake Minnich.

Robert Castagna (17-9 overall) made it 16-9 with a 2:40 fall over Tyler Pepo and Cole Harris earned six more points with a 2:24 fall. Warwick pinned at 106 and 120 and in between won by forfeit for a 34-15 lead with four bouts left.

Weston Bare (22-7 overall) started Solanco’s rally with a 5-2 decision at 126. Jared Fulton (19-5) followed with a major decision at 132, Andrew Smith added a 4-2 decision at 138 and Justin McCauley capped the scoring with a 1:45 fall over William Perez.

“When you lose a close match like that it comes down to the little things,” said Mendez. “And we’ll get back to working on those tomorrow.”

BOYS’ BASKETBALL

After dropping a hardfought 37-28 result against Garden Spot on December 14, the Mules were looking to even the series with a home game last Tuesday. But Solanco fell behind 16-4 in the first quarter and fought from behind the whole way in a 4228 loss.

Down 23-14 at the half, the Mules played even up in the third but were outscored 9-4 down the stretch.

“We had some good looks but they just didn’t fall,” said head coach Dave Long. “That’s just part of the game. Garden Spot sat in that matchup zone that gave us some troubles. And we did not get enough shots in the paint which led to us not shooting enough free throws. It’s difficult when we start in a deficit and play from behind the whole game.

“And they really hurt us on the offensive boards,” Long continued. “Every time we got a stop, they rebounded and put it back in.”

The Spartans were 6-for-11 from the free throw line. Solanco was 0-for-3.

Freshman Noah Bailey was the top scorer for the Mules with nine points. Noah Baber (6), Jadon Yoder (5), Elijah Cunningham (4), Trent McDowell (2) and Austin Wenger (2) also contributed.

Photo by Connor Hollinger

Jaelyn Olmeda looks to put a rebound back up for the Mares during their 45-36, Section Three loss at Garden Spot last Tuesday.

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Photo by Connor Hollinger

Kara Peace battles for a rebound in Solanco’s 45-36, Section Three loss to host Garden Spot on January 25.

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