The Solomon Boys Basketball team has carried a heavy yoke.
Coming into this season, the Gorilla's team knew that the hopes, dream, and basketball expectations of the community rested on their young shoulders. After all, the team was returning almost the same roster from last year and with a new coaching staff at the helm, big things were expected of the squad.
Last year, coming into what ended up being their final game in Sub-State, the team had a record of 17-5, but had their season ended by Wheat State League champions Little River.
While the loss was disheartening, the team immediately set their sights on the 2021-2022 season, and began to mentally prepare for a fresh start.
“We had a harder schedule this year,” said Zach Douglas, assistant coach. “We added Inman, Hesston, and Wichita Classical. We did that to get us ready for the Clifton-Clyde game and the state tournament.”
The Clifton-Clyde game was insane and came down to the last seconds.
“Reaghan and I prayed,” said senior Tyra Thompson, noting the intensity of the last 20 seconds of play.
The Gorillas were down 45-50 to the 10th-ranked Clifton-Clyde Eagles with 20 seconds to play. The team was playing on the Clifton-Clyde home court and they didn’t have the ball. Hope for a win seemed almost unimaginable and the boisterous student section seemed to deflate.
“When there was 9 seconds left and we were down by 5, me and Tyra said a prayer,” said senior Reaghan Shirack.
And their prayers seemed to work, for the Gorillas, led by junior Makaen Hastings, ended up winning 53-50 on a few last minute steals, made shots, and free-throws.
“I’m just playing to win,” said junior guard Makaen Hastings.
As with any sport, it was a season that served dishes of both heartache and joy. The team lost senior forward Caden Acosta in the late season game against Herington, in which he had the rim snatched away from him–just like his season. But, it was important for first year coach Kyler Stein to keep his team’s focus on the road ahead.
“I was very fortunate to have the coaches I did growing up,” Stein said. “They instilled in me the ideas of hard work and not giving up. They taught me to stay true to who I am as a person. If you persevere, this can become a pillar of the program.”
Along the way, they have managed to become the pride of this small community, making history as the first boys’ team to make it to the state tournament. That mindset helped lead the team to their 53-50 substate win against the Clifton-Clyde Eagles, which helped solidify Stein’s message of perseverance and allowed the team to qualify for the state tournament.
“It feels really good,” said first year coach Kyler Stein about being the first Solomon boys team to make a state tournament. “It’s more for the guys who have put in years of work to get here. It’s nice to come in and to be a part of it, but I hope we make some more history this next week.”
The Gorillas will begin the state tournament playing the Norwich Eagles.
“The Norwich game is very exciting for us as a program,” said Douglas. “We match up very well against them and we look forward to the challenge of looking to move on to a state semifinal."
The highlight of the season is certainly the state berth.
“Beyond the obvious trip to state, the most rewarding part of this season has been seeing the small details improving and translating from practice into games,” said Douglas.
Hastings believes the key to their future success will have to do with everyone knowing their role and playing together as a team.
“If we can all just do what you do best, then we can do this,” said Hastings.
The boys team has an eclectic mix of personalities and egos, but Coach Stein has done an admirable job pulling them together as a team.
“We embrace all of their personalities and recognize that each one is different,” said Coach Stein. “They all have their strengths and weaknesses. It took us a while, but late in the season we figured it out. That’s the best way to figure it out. They took pride in working together. They all were leaders and stepped up.”
Additional reporting by Spencer Krause
Editing by Alana Wood and Nicole Price.
Photography by Jodi Howard, courtesy of Solomon High School Yearbook.