Heartbreak in Washington

WASHINGTON — A season that saw a conference championship, Top-5 rankings and a lot of promise ended with a bitter loss for the fifth-ranked Washington boys basketball team on Friday night.

The Demons, seeded first in the Class 3A Substate 4 bracket, saw the season come up two wins short of the state tournament, as Washington was tagged with a heart-wrenching 48-44 overtime loss.

“I just feel for the kids,” said Washington head coach Collin Stark. “Those shots that usually go in, just didn't go in tonight. Plays that we usually make didn't go our way.”

Everything seemed to be moving smoothly through two quarters. Washington’s defense stifled Solon through the opening half. Lucas Kroll had eight points at the break, and the Demons led 11-7 after one quarter, and 25-15 at halftime.

But as the third quarter wore on, momentum slowly started to slip out of the hands of the favored Demons.

Solon used defensive stand after defensive stand to slowly chip into the game. The Spartans held the Demons to just seven points in the third quarter and it was a 32-27 game heading into the final eight minutes.

“"That's just kind of who we are," said Solon head coach Jared Galpin. "We're not necessarily the flashiest team, and we're not going to light you up offensively. We're going to guard."

With under six minutes to go in regulation, Solon’s comeback was complete. The Spartans stole the lead, 35-34, and you could cut the tension with a knife as the contest wound down to its conclusion.

Washington’s Lance Sobaski converted on a 3-point play to give the Demons the lead again. Solon would tie it back up, however, and the game was 39-39 in the last minute.

The Demons had a couple of chances to win it late. With the game knotted up, Washington ran the last minute of regulation off the clock but didn’t get a shot off. The Spartans forced a turnover on Demon guard Kasen Bailey, but Ethan Patterson stole the ball right back and Washington called timeout with 3.7 seconds left.

The Demons inbounded the ball with another shot at victory, but once again, no shot went up. Solon forced another turnover and the Spartans had all the momentum going into overtime tied 39-39.

“It just didn't quite happen exactly how we wanted,” Stark said. “That will be something I'll have to look back on, but at the end of the day, we had another four minutes to win this one.”

Solon sophomore Jake Benzing nailed a 3-pointer to start the overtime. Washington never led again.

Down seven points in the final seconds of overtime, Bailey sank a deep 3-pointer to cut the lead to four. Washington’s defense forced a five second call on the ensuing inbounds and had the ball back with under eight ticks left on the clock, but the Demons couldn’t find the bottom of the basket in the final seconds.

Bailey finished the night with 17 points to lead all scorers. Lucas Kroll had 10. Sobaski and Ethan Patterson had five each. Aden Six scored four, and Travis Leyden ended with three.

After the game, the Demons reconciled for over an hour in the home locker rooms, as the reality of the season’s end sank in. It was the last game for a senior class that led the Demons to a boatload of wins and three Southeast Conference championships wearing the Demon orange.

An emotional Stark emerged with his team.

“We were in there for a long time,” Stark said. “There's so many great memories. I wish it wasn't ending.”

The Demons finished the season 19-4. Solon (15-9) moves on to Monday's Substate 4 final in Mount Vernon against Central DeWitt (17-6).