The boys' basketball team ended 2021 with two wins against four losses and are close to making some noise in Section Three as they continue to battle. The Mules gave Manheim Central all they could handle before coming up short 54-39 in the final game of Solanco's Holiday Tournament on December 30.

Six days later, they traveled to Manheim for a Section Three matchup with the Barons and dropped a 63-43 result.

In their first meeting, Solanco cut the lead to seven points, 40-33 with 4:15 left in the game but managed just six points after that.

"Manheim opened that quarter with a seven-point run, forcing us into a timeout," recalled head coach Dave Long. "And we answered with an eight-point run to get back in the game. Winning is a process," he added. "And we're moving in the right direction. We're showing we can put together runs and we have a good group that's hungry to win."

The first quarter was tied twice, including 10-10 with 1:40 left, before the Barons took the lead for good with a jumper and two free throws.

Trent McDowell's bucket in the paint early in the second quarter got the Mules within five, 17-12, but that was as close as it would get. The Barons, behind tourney MVP Trey Grube and his 25 points, led 27-17 at the half and outscored the hosts 27-22 after the break.

"It's going to come down to consistency and taking care of the little things," said Long. "The guys are working hard but we need to be consistent, take care of the ball and hit the boards hard if we want to keep moving in the right direction."

Jaydon Yoder bucketed 10 of his team high 16 points in the first half while freshman Noah Bailey scored eight of his ten in the second half.

That consistency coach Long was talking about was evident in Solanco's second clash against the Barons. The visitors played tough in the first half and were down just two points, 26-24, at the half. The hosts, however, outscored the Mules in both the third (18-10) and fourth (19-9) quarters to pull away.

Bailey earned top scoring honors in this one with 15 points, five coming in the first quarter. Cunningham, with nine, just missed double figures while both Yoder and Noah Baber scored seven each.

Grube was once again a force, knocking down a game-high 28 points, and was one of three Barons to reach double figures.

The Mules were coming off a 57-43 win over Cocalico on Dec. 21. Jaydon Yoder poured in a game-high 26 points.

GIRLS' BASKETBALL

Solanco opened the 2022 season with a home game against Manheim Central last Wednesday. The Barons, with five returning starters, used a strong second half to pull away with a 55-30 victory.

The hosts knew Maddie Knier would be a force. She shook the Solanco defenders and popped in 28 points. Probably a bigger surprise was Abbie Reed who finished with 20.

Olivia Lasko and Jenna Ehlers both scored eight points each to lead the hosts.

Lasko netted three points in the first quarter as Manheim held a slim 8-7 lead with Reed scoring five. Knier's six points fueled Manheim's 10-point second quarter and pushed the visitors to an 18-13 lead at the half.

The second half proved to be the difference. Knier tallied 10 in both the third and fourth quarters, Reed chipped in with 13 after the break and Solanco could not match that. Ehlers scored six of her eight in the second half.

The girls were looking to end 2021 on a positive note Thursday, December 30, against Red Lion but a strong 3-point shooting performance by the Lady Lions helped propel the visitors to a 58-31 victory.

Clinging to a slim 8-5 first quarter lead, the Lions canned three treys in the second frame, helping to extend the lead to 23-11. The visitors held Solanco to six points in the third quarter and then held off a home team rally down the stretch.

"The three has been a difference in each of our last three games," head coach Chad McDowell pointed out. "Pequea Valley hit 9 and both CV and Red Lion finished with 11.

"We knew this would be a physical style game and we needed to match that," he continued. "Early on I thought we executed well, but then they started hitting threes and we had to alter our defensive approach."

Solanco battled through the second half but couldn't cut into the deficit. They canned 12-of-22 free throws, but the visitors, in addition to dropping in five more treys, were able to covert turnovers into points to help fuel their 35-point second half.

"We have been working on minimizing our turnovers," said McDowell, "but they were able to take advantage of our turnovers, especially in the middle quarters.

"On the positive side, Olivia and Jenna have been consistent on the boards and lead our team in that category," he continued. "And Sarah Landis has been a spark off the bench. Her energy on the court is awesome. She provides a great defensive spark and gets to the rim looking to score."

Ehlers settled for a team-high 11 points. K. Janssen and Lasko combined for 11 points.

WRESTLING

The golden grapplers opened 2022 with a 39-30 thriller over Cocalico last Tuesday in Quarryville, earning their second section win of the season.

A fall by Andrew Smith (132), a forfeit to Jared Fulton (138) and a decision by Ben Williams (145) put Solanco in front early. The Eagles responded, taking each of the next three bouts to cut the lead to 15-13. Robert Castagna's fall at 189 slowed Cocalico's run but only briefly. The Eagles came back with two straight falls for their first lead of the night, 24-21.

Cocalico forfeited at 113 but then worked a fall at 113 to go up 30-27 with two bouts left. Weston Bare responded with a 28 second fall at 120 and Steven Williams sealed the deal, pinning Wyatt Fritz in 1:25.

"We started out solid, but Cocalico really worked the cradle very well and we struggled to adjust," said head coach Tony Mendez. "I felt we could win or at least get bonus points in those last four bouts and both Weston and Steven came up big. But now we know we need to work on defending that cradle."