by WILLOUGHBY, Ohio– Heading into Friday, the Solon Comets were in the midst of a seven-game winning streak. That streak would continue after the Comets defeated the Rebels 78-57 during the sectional final.
Heading into halftime, the Rebels held a 29-28 lead. The third quarter is where the Comets would take advantage of the mistakes South made after Solon’s pressure defense forced the Rebels to play out of control.
The South lead would get as high as eight points with just under six minutes left in the third quarter. From there, Mike Bekelja and Trent Williams would spark the Solon offense as they would go on a 19-5 run in the next three minutes.
The Comets would go on to outscore the Rebels 27-16 in the third quarter to take a ten point lead heading into the final eight minutes of the game. From there, the lead only got higher and the game got out of reach for South in a hurry. Adding onto the lead that was built up and not letting the Rebels come back into the game brought confidence to coach to head coach Tony DeCesare’s team, especially since it’s been a point of emphasis as of late.
When the shot is going in, it’s a lot easier to keep your foot on the gas pedal,” DeCesare said. “And guys seem happier and play harder when the ball goes through the net like it did tonight, especially in the second half.”
With the commanding win Friday night, that means Solon will face mentor in the district semifinals Wednesday night at Euclid High School. The matchup will be the 12th time these two schools have met in the previous four seasons.
DeCesare knows that there are no tricks or secrets to beating Mentor since both teams know each other very well. According to him, they just have to play with the same intensity and effort the Comets have been playing with as of late.
“We just have to execute and play with the same level we played in the second half,” he explained. “It’s a good feeling to get another crack at them after an 0-2 conference record against them.”
Bekelja ended the night with a game-high 30 points, knocking down five 3-pointers during the win. David Marbury, Trent Williams and Marcus Steele rounded out the scoring in double figures, scoring 19, 15 and 11 points respectively.
Trent Williams missed nine games this season due to an injury. Since returning back to the starting lineup, the Comets have not lost a game. The players around Williams were excited and welcomed him back with open arms upon return, according to DeCesare. The whole process has been easy for his players to adjust to and its paid off for the team in the long run.
“Anytime you can return a guy like Trent back and guys’ spirits get lifted and winning comes along with that, you see a different mindset for our guys,” DeCesare said. “You see a better level of confidence and certainly a better overall team with Trent back on there.”
For South, three marquee seniors paved the way during the loss. Damion Williams led the team with 19 points followed up with Alvin Sloan III and Xavier Hopps pouring in 14 and 13 points, respectively. Solon would end up connecting on 14 3-pointers during the win while South made just four, ending their season with a 17-5 record.
Story by Mike Trivisonno
