Freshman Kayla Solomon's 27 points lead St. Mary's to CHSAA 'AA' championship
Kayla Solomon of St. Mary's shoots a jumper during the NSCHSAA girls basketball championship against St. Anthony's at Hofstra on Tuesday. Credit: James Escher
Special Kay was superior on Tuesday.
As Kayla Solomon was finishing layups and knocking down three-pointers, chants of “Special Kay” rained down from the St. Mary’s fans at Hofstra.
The standout freshman guard had 27 points to lead top-seeded St. Mary’s to a 68-39 victory over No. 3 St. Anthony’s in the CHSAA ‘AA’ girls basketball championship at the Mack Sports Complex Tuesday night. She had seven points in the first quarter and continued her steady scoring from there.
“I just had a good feeling today was going to be a great day,” Solomon said. “And I knew if I started off positive, the end was going to be great.”
St. Mary’s (23-4) advances to the state CHSAA ‘AA’ semifinals on March 10. The time, location and opponent are to be determined.
St. Anthony’s (19-7) plays host Our Lady of Mercy (20-5) in a state CHSAA ‘A’ qualifier at 4 p.m. on Friday.
Solomon knew she was joining an already strong team when she enrolled in the school for her freshman year. St. Mary’s won the state CHSAA ‘AA’ championship last year and returned the majority of its key players. But the dynamic guard felt she would be ready to be a contributor — and it didn’t take long for others to realize also.
“It’s very impressive,” said Taylor Barbot, who added four points and 10 assists. “She’s worked hard the entire season and not many freshmen can do what she’s doing.”
“It feels really good, especially since I’m a freshman,” Solomon said. “It just shows a lot of people even a freshman can do it.”
St. Mary’s scored 13 of the game’s first 14 points and took a 20-7 lead after the first quarter. The Gaels extended their lead to 34-17 at halftime and 55-30 after the third quarter.
Tara Murray added 15 points and Taryn Barbot, Taylor’s twin sister, had eight points, nine rebounds, four assists and four steals in the win.
Emma Toner had 10 points for St. Anthony’s.
But as the clock hit zero on Tuesday, there was no elaborate celebration. No rushing the court or jumping up and down with the title in hand. St. Mary’s has larger goals ahead in its quest to repeat as state champions.
“This was a good start going to the state tournament,” Taylor said. “We have bigger goals and we want to get further. This is just the first step toward that.”
“They’ve been here before and they want bigger things,” coach Kevin White said. “And that goal is the state catholic championship.”
