By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
The Solomon boys basketball team ran out of magic in the state semifinals, falling to #3 South Gray by a final score of 79-46.
The Gorillas battled for 32 minutes, but the Rebels capitalized on miscues and had their way offensively all night, outscoring Solomon 40-22 in the paint.
“We had no desire to defend, and we turned the ball over way too much,” Gorillas head coach Kyler Stein said. “We have been doing these very well before this game but we didn’t execute the game plan tonight.”
Makaen Hastings and Dylan Hynes led the way for Solomon with 16 and 15 points respectively with Spencer Coup not far behind with 10.
On the other side, South Gray pulled away on the strength of two 21-point performances from Brady Deges and Jorge Lupercio.
The Gorillas battled in the second half, but a 40-19 hole at the intermission proved too much to overcome for Solomon.
“I’m still proud of them and always will be,” Stein said. “We got down big early on but we continued to fight and battle to get back into the game.”
While the Rebels meet Olpe for a state title rematch, Solomon will need to reload and refocus for a noon third-place game with Macksville tomorrow, and a shot to bring home the first state plaque in school history.
“It’s extremely important that we bounce back,” he said. “We still get to play another basketball game tomorrow and have the opportunity to end our season with a win and come home with some hardware.”
For coverage of the Gorillas in their third-place game with Macksville, stay tuned to the Salina Post.