Despite jumping out to an 8-0 lead after four minutes of play last Saturday, January 11, Solanco battled but couldn't nail down a win, dropping a 48-46 non-league outing at Penn Manor. Kamrin Carroll knocked down what proved to be the game winning shot with 26 seconds left.

"I thought we played well defensively the whole game," said head coach David Long. "We made them earn their points but there was a miscommunication on a switch for that last basket."

Tyler Burger sparked Solanco's early lead, knocking down six of the team's eight points but the Comets closed the quarter with five straight buckets including a buzzer beater.

It was nip-and-tuck after that. Randy Shorts' three-point play gave the Comets their biggest lead at 15-11 but Solanco tied it up at 15-15 on a free throw by Burger, who finished with a game-high 17 points. The score was tied four more times in the quarter and was knotted at 24-24 at the break on a Zed Baker bucket.

Neither team gained much ground in the third quarter though the Comets, with an 8-2 run, grabbed the largest lead of the game, 36-31, with 1:54 left in the frame.

The back-and-forth continued through the final eight minutes. Solanco's largest lead was one, on three different occasions, and the Comets held a 46-43 edge on Jack Shipley's baseline jumper with 1:50 left. Burger responded with a trey, tying the game with 50 seconds left. Carroll's game-winner was a jumper in the paint but with 25 seconds left, Solanco had time. Their three-point attempt with 6.8 was off the mark.

"I made the decision to play for the win and we got a great look," Long recalled. "Sometimes the ball just doesn't fall. But the guys executed flawlessly so I have 100% peace about how the game ended."

Baker netted nine of his 13 points in the second half to join Burger with double-digits and was tops with 11 rebounds. Shaeffer finished with eight points, including two of Solanco's five treys, and hauled in seven boards. Sophomore center Ayden Maggs netted just two points but snagged six offensive rebounds. And in the JV game, which the Mules won 45-42, sophomore guard Jayden Yoder poured in 37 points.

The Mules were coming off a 59-38 Friday night loss at Red Lion. Down 10-8 at the end of eight minutes, the hosts, with eight treys on the night, extended a lead they never relinquished, outscoring Solanco 20-7 in the second quarter and 17-10 in the third. The visitors buckled down over the final eight minutes, winning the frame 13-12, but it wasn't enough.

Red Lion placed a trio of players in double figures while Clary's 12 points were tops for Solanco. Baker followed with nine, and Burger and Sheaffer combined for 14.

GIRLS' BASKETBALL

The girls' basketball team opened their pandemic delayed season with back-to-back losses. The defending Section Three champs dropped a 40-34 result to Warwick in Lititz on Friday and 24 hours later came out on the short end of a 52-39 result against visiting Penn Manor.

After a slow first quarter, Solanco used a 10-4 run in the second quarter to push out to a 15-10 halftime advantage over Warwick. Four different players scored in a third quarter that saw the visitors open with a 9-0 run. The hosts, however, answered the challenge and won the frame 12-11 to cut the lead to four.

Down 26-22 with eight minutes remaining, Warwick buckled down on defense and exploded on the offensive end, outscoring the visitors 18-8 to pull out the six-point win.

"We struggled to break their press," stated McDowell. "They put pressure on our guards, and we panicked."

Jade Eshleman (6 rebounds) netted eight of her team-high 14 points in the fourth quarter and Arianna Seiberlich added nine points. Sammi Jackson hauled in a team-high eight rebounds and added four points.

Solanco was back at it on Saturday, hosting Penn Manor. Paige Phillips and Olivia Lasko gave the home team an early advantage, but the visitors ended the frame with a 13-0 run and never looked back, earning a 52-39 non-league win.

Solanco, with 22 first half turnovers, lost the second quarter as well, 12-8, and found themselves on the short end of a 25-12 halftime result.

"Turnovers were our Achille's heels," said McDowell. "We need to find our way on offense and that will help eliminate the turnovers."

Things got interesting in the third quarter when Solanco regained its mojo and looked to make a run. A three-ball by Phillips cut the lead to 25-17 but it wasn't enough. PM countered with a pair of triples and the Comets earned a 15-11 quarter lead.

Manor took its largest lead of the night, 43-23, when Kamia Goodley netted a triple on Manor's first possession of the fourth quarter, but it was Solanco that won the frame, 16-12. Jade Eshleman, who grabbed a team-high 16 rebounds, made it a double-double when she bucketed seven of her 12 points down the stretch and Phillips, who led the team with 14 points, went 4-for-4 at the free throw line to spark the advantage.

"Our defense fueled a bit of a comeback," noted McDowell. "When we are active on the defensive end and can create a turnover and then can get out in transition, we are a better team."

WRESTLING

Solanco's grapplers got the 2021 season underway with a tri-meet at Hempfield on January 9. The Mules opened with a 56-12 loss to the Black Knights and then dropped a 43-30 result against Muncy.

"Hempfield took it to us," said head coach Tony Mendez. "That team has come up through the program since elementary school. They were definitely more physical. We've had limited time in the room, and this showed what areas we need to work on and can improve."

Jared Fulton's 5-1 decision at 126 and Jackson Houghton's 5-2 nod at 132 gave the Mules their only lead of the night, 6-3. Hempfield responded with six falls and a tech fall to put the match out of reach. Dominic Flatt earned Solanco's final win of the match, a 2:58 fall over Jordan Williams.

The Mules picked up five wins against Muncy with Weston Bare (120), Jared Fulton (126), Ronnie Fulton (145) and Steven Williams (152) all securing first period falls.

Solanco shook off those losses and got down to business when they hosted Penn Manon Tuesday, Jan. 12. What is typically a tightly contested outing turned into a runaway as the Mules used seven falls to hang a 54-15 loss on the Comets.

"We had a much better attitude, and everyone wrestled hard from top to bottom," said Mendez. "It was a total team effort. They all built on each other's energy."

Robert Castagna's (215) 1:33 pin over Pedro Gomez broke a 9-9 tie and ignited a string of Solanco falls and buried the Comets.

John Sankus (285) and Dominic Flatt (106) both recorded first period falls, pushing the lead to 24-9. Both teams traded forfeits and Jared Fulton (126) got the action going again with a 4:55 decking over Leonid Medvedkin. After Jackson Houghton's 6-3 decision at 132, Justin McCauley secured a 4:11 fall over Harrison Brown and Ronnie Fulton recorded the fastest fall of the evening, putting Jacob Hess to his back in 40 seconds.