By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
The Solomon Gorillas and Bennington Bulldogs will renew their rivalry at the top of the new season as the two 1-0 squads get set for a mid-week matchup at Bennington High School.
Bennington handled their business on Friday with a 39-29 win over Sylvan-Lucas while the Gorillas dominated Burrton 78-48.
Overall, I was pleased with our performance,” first-year Solomon head coach Kyler Stein said. “I thought we did a great job of playing unselfish basketball, we gave up good looks for great looks and we had 8 guys score the ball on Friday. We ran our transition offense well and pushed the tempo to the speed we wanted to play at.”
That pace of play will likely carry into this game as the Gorillas try to force a more possession-based Bulldog offense to play their game.
Regardless of how the points are being scored, Coach Stein would like to see even more from his defense this week.
“We allowed 48 points against Burrton and I thought some of our rotations and communication were poor,” he said. “We showed glimpses of how we are capable of defending but now we have to buy into doing that for 32 minutes a game and I hope to see more of that on Tuesday night.”
This matchup is one that both teams have circled on the calendar from the day the schedule comes out, and the two didn’t have to wait long this year, facing each other in the second game of the regular season.
These games mean a lot to us as a team and program,” Stein said. “Being so close together these kids grew up always playing each other a lot. Each side wants to have those bragging rights. They got us in football and I know these guys are ready to have another shot to get back at them on the hardwood Tuesday night.”
Solomon swept the season series between the two in 2020-21.
Bennington will run their offense through several key returners, but none are perhaps as big as Eli Lawson, who presents matchup problems for many of his opponents down low.
“He’s a great player and he really makes them go,” Stein said. “His size and athleticism provide a difficult challenge. They are very athletic and lengthy across the board and they’re going to do some things that most teams can't do. They have some guards that can shoot it really well along with Lawson inside and this will be a great challenge for our guys early in the season.”
The Gorillas will need another great performance from their dynamic duo of Makaen Hastings and Caden Acosta who combined to score 46 points against Burrton, and were joined in double figures by sophomore Spencer Coup.
Tip-off between the Bulldogs and Gorillas is set for 7 pm following the girl's game at Bennington High School.
For more on both teams in 2021-22 stay tuned to the Salina Post.