By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post Contributor
Last week, the Solomon Gorillas trailed #10 Clifton-Clyde by five points in the sub-state championship game with under 20 seconds to play.
The Gorillas overcame impossible odds to punch their first-ever ticket to the state tournament in spectacular fashion.
On Wednesday, Solomon found themselves down big again, this time to #2 Norwich, a team with just one loss on their resume, by 12 points going into the fourth quarter.
They did it again.
“We told the guys to believe that we were going to find a way again,” Solomon head coach Kyler Stein said. “We knew we needed to execute our adjustments and we believed that we were going to find a way to get ourselves back into the ball game.”
The Gorillas outscored the Eagles 20-6 in the final frame with Dylan Hynes dropping in the go-ahead bucket with four seconds to play, and the Solomon defense closing out a second miraculous upset in the last five days.
Many counted Solomon out before they even got off the bus on Wednesday, even fewer gave them a chance going into the final quarter, but once again for the guys in the huddle, things were never in question.
“There was no doubt at all with this group,” Stein said. “They looked at each other and said ‘we’ve overcome more,’ and I knew then we’d find a way to make it a ball game. These guys never give up or give in, they just make the next play.”
With Makaen Hastings getting a lot of defensive attention after his 32-point performance against Clifton-Clyde, it was Dylan Hynes who stepped up not just for the final shot, but to lead the Gorillas with 10-points on the night.
Hynes’ heroics on both sides of the ball were made all the more impressive by the fact that the senior collected his fourth foul late in the third quarter, played all the way through the fourth, and was still on the floor when the final buzzer sounded.
“Dylan stepped up big time,” Stein said. “He’s our best athlete and a great player. He competed well inside all night and was able to make some big time plays.”
After winning their first state tournament game in school history, the Gorillas are guaranteed two more games in Dodge City this week, but there’s no question in anyone’s mind which game Solomon would like to play in on Saturday.
“We’ll let the guys enjoy this one for a little bit but then it’s back to business,” Stein said. “Our goal is to get to that game at 4:00 on Saturday. We have a huge challenge to overcome but it’s one that this group is excited for.”
The Gorillas will turn their attention to 22-2 South Gray for a 6:00 semifinal matchup on Friday. The winner will advance to the state championship game at 4:00 on Saturday while the loser plays in the third-place game at 12:00.
For continuing coverage of Solomon at state, stay tuned to the Salina Post.