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Solon High School (Solon, OH)

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1/25/06

BOYS BASKETBALL

<H1 class=red>Lauderdale, Comets cruise

</H1>

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Eddie Dwyer

Plain Dealer Reporter

Solon High's All-Ohio post Dallas Lauderdale put everything in perspective Tuesday night.

"We're not playing well right now; we're getting the job done," said the 6-9, 235-pound junior.

The Comets, the top-ranked boys basketball program in The Plain Dealer's seven-county coverage area, played well enough to wear down scrappy Nordonia, 83-64, in a Western Reserve Conference matchup at Solon.

With Lauderdale, one of the premier juniors in the nation, scoring 23 points and blocking six shots in front of the studious eyes of University of Louisville coach Rick Pitino, the Comets improved to 11-0.

Nordonia, the area's 25th-ranked team, slipped to 9-4.

"They're an excellent team, a well-coached team," Lauderdale said of the Knights. "We knew they were going to put two and three people on me, so we had to play inside-out, play smart and score on the opportunities we were given."

Nordonia, which also drew the praise of Solon coach Todd Van Reeth for what he described as an excellent game plan, led by four points midway through the second quarter. The Knights got an impressive effort from junior guard Zach Boedicker, who tossed in a game-high 24 points, including five 3-pointers.

As gutsy as Nordonia's early play was, the Comets' leadership showed the way with two decisive 9-0 runs, the second one leading to an 11-point Solon lead with 4:28 remaining in the third quarter.

"We just came out after halftime with more intensity and more patience," said Lauderdale, whose two-handed slam dunk off a follow pushed the Comets' lead to 13 points entering the final eight minutes. "We had to start playing defense."

As has been the case for most of the season, Lauderdale and Van Reeth's other leaders - point guard Steve Valentino, forward Patrick Hewitt and wing Billy Grant - began to impose their savvy and skill on the Knights.

A driving one-hander down the lane by Hewitt and a breakaway layup by Hewitt off a rebound and an assist by Lauderdale extended Solon's lead to 18 points.

In a play that brought a grin to Pitino's face, Valentino drove the middle and purposely flipped the ball up high off the backboard.

In one motion, Lauderdale, who was following his point guard down the lane, grabbed the ball in midair and slammed home two more points that made it a 21-point game with 3:46 left.

"It's that time of the year when some of the mental errors have to start disappearing," said Van Reeth, who guided Solon to a 25-1 record and a Division I regional-final appearance last season. "We have some games coming up, starting Friday at Stow, where there is no room for those errors. We need to get a little more consistent."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

[email protected], 216-999-5169
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1/28/06

Basketball/Solon 53, Stow 46

Late drought costly to Bulldogs

WRC-leader Solon holds Stow scoreless for more than three minutes down stretch, stays unbeaten

By Todd Worly

Special to the Beacon Journal

STOW - Solon held host Stow to just three points in the final 3:30 to enable the Comets to remain undefeated with a 53-46 victory Friday night in a Western Reserve Conference showdown before a packed house.

Stow senior guard Matt Ricci drilled his fifth 3-pointer to cut Solon's lead to 46-43, but the Bulldogs did not score again until a harmless 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Solon senior guard William Grant came up with a crucial steal and converted it into a layup to put the Comets ahead 48-43 with two minutes left, effectively destroying all of Stow's momentum.

Solon's defense clamped down from there.

The Bulldogs (9-4, 7-2) came out focused on containing Solon junior center Dallas Lauderdale.

Stow's inside trio of seniors Doug Berlan, Brian Morrow and Brian Boevington kept the ball out of Lauderdale's hands for much of the first half.

But his supporting cast made the Bulldogs pay, as the Comets raced out to a 15-5 lead on the strength of three 3-pointers from senior forward Bradley Nemeth.

``They basically put their 4 and 5 on me at the beginning,'' said Lauderdale, who had 21 points, nine rebounds and two blocks.

``(Nemeth) hit some big shots, and that opened things up for me a lot more underneath.''

``Our game plan coming in was to stop Lauderdale,'' Ricci said.

``We played a box-and-one on him, and we took a gamble by leaving a guy open that hadn't hit a 3 in the last seven games.''

The Bulldogs adjusted, though, defending the perimeter shot more successfully, and cut Solon's lead to 31-25 on junior guard Paul Racketa's half-court heave at the first-half buzzer.

Ricci hit a 3-pointer midway through the third quarter to give Stow its first lead -- 35-34 -- since it was 3-0. Solon (12-0, 9-0), however, responded with a 9-2 run -- highlighted by a monster dunk off an offensive rebound by Lauderdale -- to close the quarter.

``I knew coming into the game that Grant would be guarding me, so I'd have to work extra hard to get open,'' Ricci said.

``Fortunately, I got some good looks and some good shots though.
``This is definitely not the end of our season.''

Ricci led the Bulldogs with 15 points, while Morrow and Racketa chipped in with 13 and 11, respectively.
http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjourn...33.htm?template=contentModules/emailstory.jsp
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PlainDealer

2/5/06

BOYS BASKETBALL

<H1 class=red>No. 1 Solon squeaks by No. 9 Mentor in double OT

</H1>

Sunday, February 05, 2006

Eddie Dwyer

Plain Dealer Reporter

It was, as Solon's All-Ohio junior center Dallas Lauderdale said, a game that prepares you for the postseason tournament, a game of "will."

Solon, the area's top-ranked boys basketball program, had its will pushed to the limit by the ninth-ranked Mentor Cardinals on Saturday night before the Comets prevailed, 76-74, in double overtime. The game attracted a standing- room crowd of more than 3,000 to Mentor.

"Mentor is an excellent team," said the 6-9 Lauderdale, after his game highs of 32 points and 10 blocks helped Solon improve to 15-0. "They are well-coached, and they work so hard. But we pulled it out as a team. We worked together to get this one."

Both programs epitomized team play as they pushed each other for 32 minutes and two four-minute overtimes.

Solon, which trailed, 51-46, with 4:01 left in regulation, came back behind reserve guard Anthony Burns' 3-pointer, Lauderdale's slam dunk off a follow, Burns' two free throws and a free throw by forward Billy Grant, and led, 56-53, with 34.7 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

Mentor, which lost for the fourth time in 15 games, tied the score at 56-all on a 3-pointer by senior forward Danny Wilkinson, who hustled for an offensive rebound off a missed free throw before launching his 3-pointer.

Solon turned the ball over twice in the final 19.6 seconds of regulation, and the teams headed for the first overtime.

The Comets, who advanced to the elite eight in Division I last season before finishing 25-1, rode two free throws by forward Patrick Hewitt and a steal and a free throw by Grant to a 60-58 lead with 35.4 seconds left in the first overtime.

Mentor's outstanding senior forward Adam May, who scored a Cardinals-best 26 points, hit two, pressure-packed free throws, and the game was on for four more minutes.

In the second overtime, Lauderdale set the tone with a strong 5-footer and a two-handed slam off a perfect lob pass from Burns. After two free throws by Grant gave Solon a five-point lead with 1:10 remaining, Mentor responded with a 3-pointer by senior guard Jon Crowe.

This time, the Comets kept their composure down the stretch and maintained their perfect record behind the clutch free-throw shooting of Hewitt, Grant and Burns.

"We missed a few bunnies in the second overtime," Cardinals coach Bob Krizancic said. "But this was a great game. And now, we'll have to learn from it."

Wilkinson made a 3 at the buzzer for the final margin.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

[email protected], 216-999-5169
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CPD

2/12/06

<H1 class=red>Lauderdale handled, Solon handed first loss

</H1>

Sunday, February 12, 2006

Zachary Braziller

Special to The Plain Dealer

As he took in the first loss of his senior season, Solon point guard Steve Valentino actually thought the setback could serve as a positive.

After the Comets fell, 59-47, to Haddonfield (N.J.), the two-time New Jersey Group II boys basketball state champion, in the Prime Time Shootout at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, N.J., Valentino said the success of past seasons -- including a regional final appearance last year -- has caused a false sense of security.

"We think we can just come in and play with anyone," he said. "This is a wake-up call for us that we're not untouchable."

Solon (16-1) will not again face 7-footers who can pass out of the paint as effortlessly as they dunk and toss in jump hook after jump hook.

In a matchup between two of top big men in the country -- Solon's Dallas Lauderdale and Brian Zoubek, the 7-2 center for Haddonfield (20-1) -- the Comets' 6-8 junior finished with a season-low four points on just 1-of-11 shooting.

"Dallas is a great player," said William Grant, who led Solon with 20 points. "It's not like Dallas was outworked. He just had a bad game."

Zoubek proved to be too much for either Lauderdale or the Comets to handle, compiling game highs of 22 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks.
"Zoubek's a great player," Solon coach Todd Van Reeth said. "He's not a typical 7-2 kid as far as agility; he's very skilled."

Nonetheless, Solon, the ranked No. 1 in The Plain Dealer Top 25 and third in the state, was right there in the final quarter, trailing, 44-40. Zoubek would take control from there, first with a two-handed slam. After Solon's Anthony Burns dropped in a floater, Zoubek, again sealing off Lauderdale deep inside the paint, scored inside again. He stole the entry pass to Lauderdale on the Comets' next possession, and a minute later put the Bulldogs up 10 with a left-handed hook off the glass midway through the fourth quarter.

With Lauderdale struggling, Grant stepped up, pumping in 12 points in the first half.

Zachary Braziller is sports editor for the Queens (N.Y.) Courier.
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PlainDealer

2/24/06

Sectional Preview.....

Cleveland South

Where: South High School, 7415 Broadway Ave., Cleveland. Call Cal Long at 216-701-3080.

Seeded teams: 1. Solon; 2. Bedford; 3. Euclid; 4. St. Ignatius.
Other teams: Cleveland Heights, East High, East Tech, Garfield Heights, John F. Kennedy, Lincoln-West, Maple Heights, Shaker Heights.

When: Semifinals, Wednesday, March 8 and Thursday, March 9, 6:30 p.m.; final, Saturday, March 11, 1:30 p.m.

Outlook: Top-ranked Solon defeated St. Ignatius in last year's district final at B-W. Two-time defending South district champ Bedford welcomes the challenges the new kids on the block present. Euclid and Shaker Heights have played tournament-ready schedules, and don't overlook JFK. An array of talent will be on display, headed by Solon's 6-9 junior post Dallas Lauderdale, Bedford's Jason Thompson, St. Ignatius' Rudy Kirbus, JFK's Tyrone Bolden, Euclid's Desmond Motley and Thaddeus Gibson, Shaker's Nick Winbush and Garfield's Daitwan Eppinger.
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