The Solon girls’ basketball team decimated the Independence Mustangs on the home hardwood, 82-21, Dec. 21, capitalizing on 32 Mustang turnovers and dominant performances by Solon’s Ava Stebral and Callie Levin.
Levin and Stebral were solely responsible for Solon’s 20-3 lead at the end of the first quarter.
“Yeah, they got hot, and other players did a good job finding them,” said head coach Jamie Smith. “(It’s) always big to get off to a good start at home. So, it was big.”
The Lady Spartans poured in another 27 in the second, holding Independence to just six, for a 47-9 halftime lead. Solon picked up where they left off in the third, padding their lead with 24 more points, stifling the Mustangs to just three, leading 71-11 entering the final eight minutes.
“The players that came in during the last quarter work hard at practice, so it was good to see them on the court,” Smith added.
The Lady Spartans rested their starters and outscored the Mustangs 11-10 under the continuous clock to claim their final victory of 2021.
Smith welcomed the decisive win after a few tight recent losses.
“Winning cures some ailments for sure,” he said. “But we are just working on getting better each practice to make sure we put ourselves in a better position during those close games.”
Solon went 31-of-64 dropping field goals and 13-of-40 shooting three-pointers. Stebral made 9-of-12, breaking a school record. The Lady Spartans sank 7-of-8 free throws and grabbed 35 rebounds, accrued 21 assists, pilfered the ball 26 times and committed just 12 fouls.
“Well, Ava was amazing,” Smith praised. “Broke a school record that was 25-years-old. And when you break a record held by an All-Big Ten and WNBA player like Lindsey Meder, it was a big deal.
“Callie had a quiet 26, along with eight assists and seven steals. We had 21 assists as a team, so I was pleased with that.”
Stebral led all scorers on the court with 31 points and one rebound, two assists and three steals. Callie Levin added 26 points, grabbed three rebounds, amassed eight assists and seven steals.
The win elevated the Lady Spartans to 5-5 on the season, 3-3 in the WaMaC East Conference standings, mid-pack behind Marion (5-3, 5-2) and Beckman Catholic (5-4, 3-2) and leading Mount Vernon (4-6,3-4), Maquoketa (3-6, 3-4) and West Delaware (3-6, 1-6). The loss moves Independence to 1-7 and 0-5 in the WaMaC West.
Beckman Catholic visits Solon Thursday, Jan. 7, at 7:30 p.m., and the Spartans trek to Maquoketa Monday, Jan. 11, at 7:30 p.m.
“On Friday, we host Beckman. Last year’s home game still creeps in my brain, so that game will be a fun one,” Smith said.
Solon’s statistical leaders against Independence were: points — Stebral 31, Callie Levin 26, Mia Stahle seven, Claire LaDage and MaKinley Levin four, Kaia Holtkamp three, Kassidy Lietz, Kerrigan Lyons and Hillary Wilson and two, Sara Holtz one; rebounds — Elly Holubar eight, LaDage seven, Wilson five, Holtkamp and Callie Levin three, MaKinley Levin and Stahle two, Holtz, Stebral and Ana Quillin one; assists — Callie Levin eight, MaKinley Levin four, Wilson three, Stebral two, Holtkamp, Holubar, Lyons and Quillin one; steals — Callie Levin seven, MaKinley Levin four, Stahle, Stebral and Wilson three, Holtkamp and Holubar two, Lyons and Quillin one.

Gallery • 4 Photos

Jeff Hess

Solon sophomore Callie Levin shoots from the paint, Dec. 21.