Meet the Homecoming queen who will steal more than your heart
By Jason Guarente — MikeDragoSports.com senior correspondent
Anyone who has played basketball, even if it’s just a pickup game, has run into an opponent like Lekaiah Solomon. There’s something sneaky about her. A way she reaches the ball when it should be out of reach.
Some of it is a physical gift. Solomon has a long wingspan and a quick first step. She covers more ground than you expect. But it’s not just athleticism. For Schuylkill Valley’s senior, steals have become a science.
“Once I got to the high school level, I realized the passes they’re gonna throw aren’t going to be easy steals,” Solomon said. “You have to work to get it.”
Listening to Solomon talk about her defensive approach is interesting. She hasn’t stumbled onto this particular skill. She has refined it the same way one might refine a jump shot.
Solomon frequently baits her rivals. The 5-7 forward will trick them by sinking down to make it look like the entry pass is wide open. If that pass gets made, she’ll pounce. An innocent decision becomes a turnover.
“The person who has the ball, I look at their eyes,” Solomon said. “Once I see that they’re connecting with the big girl and they’re winding up, that’s when I try to sneak in there.”
Solomon put her thievery on display when Schuylkill Valley defeated Wyomissing 34-32 on the road Saturday. She had eight steals and the Panthers needed every one of them. The last steal clinched the win in the final seconds.
Game-changers are usually scorers. But not all the time. Solomon flips possessions, extends them by chasing down rebounds and claims loose balls. All with her quickness, instincts and relentlessness.
“She always plays like that, including practice,” Schuylkill Valley coach Jason Bagenstose said. “She’s never inconsistent. She’s the pillar of ‘come every day ready to play.’ She’s our motor.”
Schuylkill Valley is 12-1 and holds a two-game lead in Berks III. The Panthers don’t have any height and rank in the middle of the pack in 3-pointers. They have a collection of players who fit well together.
Madison Ziska has become an All-Berks candidate as her scoring average has jumped to 14.2 points. Jadyn Heck-Hoppes is a great defender who scores 11.2 points. Solomon is third on the team at 6.8 points.
There are four senior starters, including Sarah Gilbert, lining up with sophomore Natane White, who is a two-year starter at point guard.
Bagenstose believes Solomon could play a bigger role in the offense if she wanted. The senior is unselfish by nature. She doesn’t shoot often.
“I keep challenging her to look to score more,” the coach said. “But she’s such a team player. She used to force some things when she was younger. Now she’s trying to not force things. Sometimes I don’t think she forces it enough.”
Solomon, who was Schuylkill Valley’s Homecoming queen in the fall, said she occasionally gets quizzical looks from opponents after she takes away the ball. During timeouts girls will say, “I don’t know how you do that.”
“I just agree,” Solomon said. “I don’t know how I get it either.”
The truth is she does know. She has turned stealing into an art form. It’s one of her most valuable contributions to the team with the best record in Berks.
Schuylkill Valley is allowing 31 points per game, second-lowest in the league behind Brandywine Heights. The Panthers posted their lowest point total of the season and still held off Wyomissing. Good teams win when they don’t play their best. That’s especially true of good defensive teams.
Solomon is one of the best defenders around.
“I love getting steals,” she said. “I love the feeling of stealing the ball from them and making them work to get it back. Because that tires them out. Not only physically but also mentally.”
It’s exhausting to play against someone like Solomon. Ask anyone who has tried it.
These photos and others from the Schuylkill Valley/Wyomissing game can be purchased here.
