With Jade Eshleman in foul trouble and Jenna Ehlers out with an injury, junior Hannah Wood stepped up with a team-high seven rebounds and six points, unfortunately, it was not enough to split the series in Lampeter Thursday, January 28. The Pioneers got a game-high 16 points from Emma Drouillard and outscored Solanco in all four quarters to pull out a 40-30 victory. Paige Phillips paced the visitors with eight points.

"Hannah did an outstanding job," praised head coach Chad McDowell. "She did everything we asked her to do and had an all-around solid game."

Drouillard nailed a trey at the end of the first quarter to put the Pioneers in front, 6-4. The game was tied twice in the second quarter before L-S went on a 7-0 run to stretch the advantage. They led 17-11 at the break.

Phillips knocked down a pair of treys in the third quarter, cutting into Lampeter's 14-point advantage and giving Solanco some life. Down 30-22 with two minutes left in the frame, the visitors got to within six, 36-30, on a bucket by Olivia Lasko but the Pioneers canned 4-of-6 free throws in the final 35 seconds to clinch the win.

"Turnovers at inopportune times have been one of our Achilles Heals this season," added McDowell, "but we are getting better with ball security. We did outrebound them, (34-22) but we did not capitalize on our second chance points. We played hard but could not overcome our mistakes," he added. "We got solid contributions off the bench."

Nikki Trout and Olivia Lasko tallied four points each with Lasko and Eshleman combining for ten rebounds.

At West York Saturday, Eshleman poured in a season-high 19 points, including a 7-for-8 effort at the foul line, and hauled in a team-best 12 rebounds to pace Solanco to a 46-39 victory.

Despite a quick 5-0 lead, WY grabbed an 11-9 edge after eight minutes. Eshleman sparked a 14-7 second quarter with 10 points and Solanco led 23-18 at the break. The visitors held on with a 23-21 second half effort and picked up their second win of the season.

"Jade had a big game inside," said McDowell. "She pretty much had her way.

"As a team, we shot 45% from the field and 85% from the foul line," he added.

Solanco held a 16-6 advantage in made field goals but the hosts kept within striking distance with eight made three-pointers, including three in the fourth. But the visitors were a solid 11-of-13 from the free throw line. West York was 4-of-10.

BOYS' BASKETBALL

Solanco faced a tall task when they hosted Section Three leader Lampeter-Strasburg Thursday, January 28 but they hung tough despite suffering a 55-40 loss. The visitors placed three players in double figures, including 18 each by Ty Burton and Isaiah Parido. Zed Baker, who was 5-of-7 from the free throw line, was tops for the Mules with 9. Colesen Sheaffer and Tyler Burger added eight each and Ethan Clary and Ryan Smith combined for 13.

"Burton was the big focus for us," said head coach Dave Long. "He had 26 the first time. We did a great job with him in the first half as he only had six. Because of all the attention to Burton, Parido stepped up and had 18.

"I was proud of our guys," he continued. "The lead got bigger in the fourth as we had to extend our defense so they couldn't stall."

L-S held a 10-8 first quarter lead and were up 28-22 at the break. Parido poured six treys over the second and third quarters, sparking the visitors to a 42-33 advantage with eight minutes remaining. Burton's 11 fourth quarter points extended the lead.

WRESTLING

On the road Wednesday, Feb. 3, Solanco's wrestlers earned their second one-point win of the season, holding off Cocalico 32-31 on a 5-1 match clinching decision by Robert Castagna (215). The Eagles pinned in the last bout but it wasn't enough.

Dominic Flatt (106) set the tone with a 17-2 tech fall and, after forfeiting at 113, Solanco earned back-to-back falls from Weston Bare (120) and Jarod Fulton (126) for an 11-point lead.

The hosts pinned at 132 but Solanco countered. Jackson Houghton scored a 3-1 decision over Aiden Swann, Ronnie Fulton (145) pinned in 1:22 and Steven Williams worked a 9-7 sudden victory at 152 for a 29-12 advantage.

"Steven was down 7-2 in the third and came back to tie and then win in overtime," praised head coach Tony Mendez. "Blaine Plastino, at 172, almost did the same thing in the third period but fell two points shy.

"Not everything went as planned but the team pulled together for a hard-fought win."

Cocalico made its run down the stretch, winning four of the last five bouts only to fall short with Castagna's decision.

After dominating Warwick 57-15, for their seventh straight win, on Wednesday, January 27, Solanco hosted Dallastown and Central Dauphin on Saturday and came away with mixed results, starting the action with a 33-26 win over the Wildcats before bowing out 53-12 to the Rams.

With just three falls in the match, the Mules ground out some tough wins against the Wildcats.

"For us to win is huge," said Mendez. "Two years ago, in a District Team match, we won just two bouts. They're a quality squad. This is a good win for our program."

Flatt (113) earned Solanco's first fall, in 1:00, and tied the match at 6-6. Houghton's 6-3 decision at 132 led to Ronnie Fulton's 3:19 fall at 145 and pushed the lead to 21-14 and sparked a string of four straight wins. Williams notched a 6-0 decision at 152, Wade Adams (160) was a 6-2 winner and Plastino, a sophomore, put his opponent to the mat in 5:00 and extended the advantage to 33-12.

"We got that run in the middle and that made the difference," recalled Mendez.

Next up for the Mules was Central Dauphin. Winning just three bouts, the hosts fell 53-12.

"I would say they are the top in our district," Mendez stated. "Despite the score, I was happy with the way we performed. We were outmatched but we wrestled as hard as we could."

Bare (120) earned a 6-1 decision in the second bout of the match and two bouts later, Houghton worked a 6-0 decision. Flatt (106) capped the scoring and the match with forfeit points.

"Justin McCauley (138) is a first-time starter and a sophomore who wrestled very well, as did Williams at 152. Both got pinned but worked hard. Steven was down just 2-0 in the second period before getting turned."

Highlighting Solanco's blowout over Warwick, that included four falls and five forfeits, was Flatt's 7-4 double OT match over Marco Tocci. "That was a tough match," recalled Mendez. "I felt we were on the offense the whole time. Dom got an escape and takedown in the first 30 second OT and then held Tocci down for the second 30 seconds. He kept his composure and got the win," Mendez continued. "Even when the calls aren't going your way, you have to control your destiny.

"I also thought McCauley wrestled extremely well against a decent wrestler. He stepped up and was able to get the fall."

Jared Fulton (126), Houghton (132) and Bare (120) joined McCauley in picking up falls.