BOYS IN FED FINALE
’Roos beat Ray’s in semis
ALBANY — At the end of a riveting, fivesecond sequence that included Leroy Fludd flying out of bounds for a loose ball, it was Courtney Solomon — who broke curfew on Friday night and was initially told by coaches that he wouldn’t play — who eventually converted a three-point play that summed up just how tough a team Boys & Girls is.
Solomon, a seldom-used reserve who didn’t play a minute in the PSAL city championship game last week, scored 14 points in 10 minutes of second-half action, helping the Kangaroos move a step closer to their first ever Federation championship by beating CHSAA city champ St. Raymond, 66-54, in the Class AA semifinals at the Times Union Center on Saturday.
The Kangaroos advanced to Sunday’s 2 p.m. title game against defending state champion Mount Vernon. Fludd scored a team-high 17 points and had 13 rebounds and three steals, while Wesley Myers continued his torrid shooting in the playoffs with 14 points and three steals.
But it was Solomon (3-of-3 from the field, 6-of-7 from the foul line) who brought a smile to the faces of Fludd and Myers because of his unlikely performance.
“I didn’t think I would get in the game today,” said Solomon, who failed to adhere to a 10 p.m. curfew on Friday night by leaving his room to get food and was caught by a coach in the hallway of the team’s hotel. “When (coach Ruth Lovelace) told me to get in the game, I ran to the scorer’s table as fast as I could because I didn’t want her to change her mind.”
Lovelace said she made Solomon run hard during the team’s morning practice Saturday, telling him, “Don’t even get dressed,” for the semifinal.
Solomon was also given responsibilities usually reserved for a team manager, such as carrying players’ bags.
But Lovelace had a change of heart, and sensing her team needed a lift in the third quarter, put Solomon in the game.
The Ravens took a 31-30 lead at the half, and appeared to be the faster and more dynamic team with Temple-bound Daniel Dingle scoring eight of his 17 points on aggressive moves to the basket.
When Lovelace put Solomon in, the 5-10 junior guard, referred to as “instant offense” by teammates, immediately gave the Kangaroos a lift.
He quickly buried a pair of 3-pointers to give his team a five-point lead in the third. Then late in the fourth, Solomon converted a three-point play after Fludd missed a free throw and the Kangaroos got the the rebound.
After Solomon sank a free throw following his layup, the Kangaroos had a 59-49 lead with 2:13 remaining.
“I told the kid when I shook his hand after the game that I thought he won it for them,” St. Ray’s coach Oliver Antigua said of Solomon. “His 14 points were the difference in the game.”
St. Raymond turned the ball over 21 times, compared to just seven turnovers by the Kangaroos.