Macksville 66, Solomon 54

Macksville used a strong start to hold off Solomon in the third place game of the Boys 1A D1 state tournament.

The Mustangs raced out to a 26-8 lead behind three triples from Rogelio Ibarra. However, Solomon responded and held Macksville without a made field goal in the second period to cut the lead to 31-21.

In the third quarter, Solomon cut the lead all the way down to four, behind the play of Spencer Coup, but the Mustangs had every answer. Freshman Diego Esparza stepped up with 12 half points to shut down every Gorilla run despite the performance of Makean Hastings, who finished with 19 points.

Solomon’s historic season, which resulted in their first State appearance since 1918, comes to a close with a record of 17-9.