That team was seeded No. 1 with dreams of challenging eventual state champion Trotwood-Madison in the regional tournament. But that team, led by Milton Gage and Jack Nauseef, lost in the second round of the sectional to archrival Alter.
“Every game we talk about doing it for Milton and Jack,” Nauseef said.
The next game is 11 a.m. today at UD Arena in the Division II semifinals against Columbus St. Francis DeSales (18-7). Lima Shawnee (25-1) faces Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (23-2) at 2 p.m.. The final is Sunday at 5:15 p.m..
“I just feel so blessed,” Nauseef said. “We’ve been putting in the work for four years, me and AJ, and I couldn’t imagine doing it with anybody else.”
DeSales, back at state for the first time since 2009, is led by 6-5 star Dez Watson. Eagles coach Charlie Szabo said Watson is the best player his team has faced this season.
CJ (15-5) is at state for the first time since 2015. The Eagles have risen to this level with a mix of veterans and young players, and Nauseef and Solomon are the leaders Szabo relies on.
“Everybody’s fallen in line behind them,” Szabo said. “The encourage their teammates and really care about each other. When somebody cares about you and you know it, you’re more willing to follow them down that path. And those two have done a great job leading this team.”
Nauseef and Solomon are the team’s second and third leading scorers, Nauseef is the best rebounder and Solomon is the assist leader. Solomon missed the second half of last season with a knee injury. Szabo said he’s a different player this year, trusting his teammates more and not trying to do too much.
“He’s become a distributor who hits big shots for us,” Szabo said of Solomon. “He’s not guy who always has to create shots for himself.”
The leading scorer is 6-3 freshman Jonathan Powell at 12.8. He didn’t begin the season as a starter and scored three, three and five in the first three games. Then he erupted for 19 points in each of the next two games. He’s hit 25 twice.
“They’re people where at times I can come talk to them about certain things about playing high school basketball,” Powell said of playing with Solomon and Nauseef. “They taught me things that helped me a lot.”
Other starters are junior Luke Chandler and sophomore Evan Dickey. Juniors Kenyon Owens, Josiah Bowman and Kylan Tucker have been key bench players. Solomon says there is no class system or jealousies.
“We look at them as little brothers and try to be mentors to them,” Solomon said. “They step up, they make big plays for us. We trust them, and they’re getting good experience. We love each other as a team.”
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