Solanco's matmen opened their post-season at the Lancaster-Lebanon League Championships held January 28-29 at Manheim Township. They had five medal winners, including Jared Fulton's gold medal effort, and finished tied for sixth place with Manheim Central.

Fulton secured his first league crown by pinning his way through the 132-pound bracket. By doing so, the junior also earned the Shorty Hitchcock Award for most falls in the least amount of time. Fulton spent just six minutes and 14 seconds on the mat.

Joining Fulton on the medal stand was Weston Bare, Robert Castagna, Caden Rutt, and Justin McCauley.

Bare, a senior, was the runner-up at 120. He advanced to the finals with a fall, a tech fall and a 3-0 decision but met up with undefeated Eric Howe (Lancaster Catholic) in the finals and dropped a 9-1 result.

Castagna (189) suffered a 7-1 loss in the semifinals but rallied back to finish in fifth place while Rutt claimed sixth at 106 and McCauley settled for seventh place.

Rutt pinned Penn Manor's Riley Evans in his first match but, after losing in the quarterfinals, wrestled back, and met Evans again in the battle for fifth. This time Evans had the upper hand, winning via fall.

"Justin stepped in for Ben Williams (injured) and did a nice job to come away in seventh place," said head coach Tony Mendez. "All of our guys placed at or above their seed."

Also of note, Solanco's Ronnie Perry, currently an assistant men's wrestling coach and the head women's coach at Lock Haven University, was inducted into the L-L League Hall of Fame.

Last Tuesday the Mules traveled to Dallastown to face the second-seed Wildcats in the District Three Team Tournament. It is the fourth straight season the Mules have qualified, but seeded 15th made it an uphill battle. Dallastown prevailed 41-18.

Castagna, with a 4-1 decision, Nathan Smith with a fall at 113, Bare, with a 2-1 decision and Fulton's forfeit at 132 accounted for Solanco's point total.

"We knew it would be a challenge, but it was a good experience," said Mendez.

GIRLS' BASKETBALL

With just one win to their credit, the girls' basketball team will look to play spoiler as the end of the season approaches. With that goal in mind, Solanco hosted Lampeter-Strasburg Thursday, January 27. The Pioneers are in contention for a Section Three title and though they finished with a 47-34 victory, it was not a walk in the park.

Clinging to a 5-3 lead early, L-S ran off seven straight points and then banked a three at the buzzer for a 15-6 advantage.

They led 22-10 midway through the second and led 30-14 at the half. Solanco kept at it though, diving for loose balls, double teaming and hitting the boards. They won the second half 20-17 but fell short of the upset.

"We're getting the looks we want but just recently we have missed a bunch of short shots," stated head coach Chad McDowell. "We just need to finish.

"No matter what the score, this team plays hard for four quarters," he continued. "This group never quits. I love that heart that they play with."

Olivia Lasko continues to make her presence known. She led with a game-high 14 points, scoring in each quarter, hauled in a team best seven rebounds and picked up a pair of steals.

The scrappy Janssen sisters were all over the place, combining for 11 points, nine rebounds, three steals. Kara Peace (4 points), Hannah Wood (3 points) and Sarah Landis (2 points) also reached the scoring column.

Lasko turned in a monster game last Tuesday, knocking down 18 points and controlling the boards with a dozen. She also dished out three assists and collected four steals in a tight 46-38 home loss to Cocalico.

"Olivia came ready to play," lauded McDowell. "I think that matched a career-high in points."

Clinging to an 11-10 first quarter lead, the Eagles stepped it up a bit over the next two frames to gain some breathing room, leading 39-27 with eight minutes remaining. Solanco rallied down the stretch, outscoring the visitors 11-7 but it was too little, too late.

Lasko fueled that first quarter with eight of 18 while Hanna Wood canned five of her seven in the third. "Hannah played an exceptional game," praised McDowell. "She battled Cocalico's 6'2" center and did a great job."

Aiding the Eagles attack was the ability to drop in nine treys. "That certainly helped them out," said McDowell. "And I felt we contested the majority of those shots. To their credit they made them.

"Paige Althoff did a great job defensively, forcing some turnovers," he continued. "Jenna Ehlers was also a spark off the bench. Her quickness and leaping ability give us energy."

BOYS' BASKETBALL

The only undefeated team in the L-L League hosted a two-win Solanco squad Thursday, January 27. The mighty Pioneers, without starting point guard and leading scorer Ty Burton, swept the series 85-27.

"We were down five rotation players going into that game," said head coach Dave Long of his injured players. "Gavin Cox, Donnovan Peters, Trey Riley and Patrick Baus came in and played heavy minutes for us off the bench."

L-S, with all five starters hitting double figures, jumped out to a 20-5 first quarter lead, pushed it to 52-16 and the half, and held the visitors to single digits in both the third and fourth quarters for their f16th straight win.

Jadon Yoder's eight points led the Mules. Noah Baber followed with six, Noah Bailey and Riley added five each and Peters chipped in with three.

On the road last Tuesday, the Mules lost 50-36 to Cocalico. The Eagles (7-12) dropped in five of their seven three-pointers in the first half and led 28-22 at the break. They held the Mules to just three points in the third.

"I felt the three-point shooting made the difference," said Long. "They hit some big shots and we struggled to score again."

Bailey was impressive from the free throw line, sinking 11 of 12 attempts in his team-high 13-point night. Yoder hit three triples and also hit double figures with 11. Elijah Cunningham (6), Trent McDowell (2), Baber (2) and Brock Osborne (2) also scored.

At Eastern York last Wednesday Solanco's 14-13 first quarter lead did not last. Down 24-20 at the half, the hosts dominated the offensive boards in the third and canned six of their nine treys in the second half to win 62-42.

Yoder scored 15 points on five threes. Osborne came off the bench with nine points. Cunningham and Baber combined for 15.