The Solon girls’ basketball team took a collective deep breath Jan. 18, before taking the court against WaMaC East Division leader Marion Wolves.
Head Coach Jamie Smith emphasizes, “One game at a time.” But clearly, this was a game Solon needed to remain a threat during the push toward the season end in the WaMaC East Division. Solon, ranked No. 2, bested top-ranked Marion, 53-42, Jan 18, at home.
The Marion Wolves leaped to an early lead taking the first quarter 17-11 and maintained their dominance in the second, leading 26-18 at the half, as both squads maintained a defensive mindset. Marion controlled the boards, outrebounding the Lady Spartans 23 to nine, during the first half.
“Marion got to the basket off the dribble early in the game,” Smith assessed. “Offensively, we were just standing so we were easy to guard.”
Smith stated the halftime chatter focused on defense.
“We just talked about playing better defense and not letting them get to the lane,” he recalled. “We played a lot better on both ends of the court in the second half.”
“A lot better on both ends” was an understatement as the Lady Spartans opened the second half with 10 unanswered points, erasing the Wolves halftime lead, and making it a neck-in-neck race ending the quarter with Marion edging Solon, 34-33, entering the final quarter. With the game knotted at 40 all and a little more than 3:30 remaining, the sisters Levin set to work with MaK setting the Lady Spartans out front and Callie Levin dropping seven points, including a trey to make Solon’s lead 47-42. The final tally when the horn sounded, Solon 53, Marion 42.
Solon’s Callie Levin led all scoring on the court with 21 points while teammates MaKinley Levin and Ava Stebral added 12 points apiece for the Lady Spartans. Marion’s Ella Bockenstedt led Marion with nine points and 16 rebounds while teammates Ava Attwood and Mila Van Welden added eight apiece.
Solon was outclassed on the glass as Marion grabbed 44 boards to the Lady Spartans’ 26, however, Marion’s 23 turnovers versus Solon’s 15 and the Spartans’ 13 steals besting the seven for Marion played heavily in the Lady Spartan victory.
Smith extolled the team’s focus and leadership for their success.
“I thought Callie (Levin) did a great job leading us to close out the game,” Smith praised. “Big basket by Kaia (Holtkamp) to start the second half off set play.”
Solon (9-6) faced the West Delaware Hawks (5-9) on Jan. 21, in Manchester, after claiming a 69-40 victory over the Knights on Jan. 4, but beating a team twice in a season is never a given.
“West Delaware is always tough there,” Smith said. “So, we will have to be ready when we get off the bus.”
Solon was served a dose of heartache as West Delaware claimed a 48-47, retribution victory in the final moments to move Solon’s record to 7-5 in the WaMaC East Conference and 9-7 on the season, to remain second behind Marion in the East.
Solon grabbed a 16-12 lead at the end of the first quarter and seemed firmly in control at the half claiming a 30-22 halftime score as both teams entered the locker rooms. Solon maintained in the third quarter, outscoring West Delaware 13-11 for a 43-33 advantage before the final eight minutes.
“We just didn’t close the game up and couldn’t stop their momentum,” Smith explained.
“I thought for the first 27 minutes we played well, on both ends of the court,” he continued. “They got a couple of open looks from three and made them. We got some good looks and they didn’t go end at the end. That happens sometimes on the road.”
The Hawks held Solon to just four points and capitalized on three’s in the final minutes to score 15 points and earn the 48-47 victory over the Lady Spartans.
“Always frustrating to lose close games,” stated Smith. “When games are close like that you can always go back and ask ‘what if’ but we still have a lot of the season left, so we need to keep moving forward.”
The Lady Spartans will be at Beckman Catholic on Tuesday, Feb. 1 tipping off at 6 p.m., host the Maquoketa Cardinals at 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 4. Mount Vernon visits Solon Tuesday, Feb. 8, a schedule change, at 6 p.m. in their final regular-season home game and the Lady Spartans end the regular season on the road at Benton Community High School battling the Bobcats at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 14.
The Lady Spartans need a strong finish to their schedule. They defeated Beckman Catholic Jan. 7, 46-36, at home; Maquoketa took at 53-52 victory from the Lady Spartans on Jan. 11 in the Cardinals’ nest; Jan. 15, Solon took a 62-44 victory in the Mustangs’ corral; and the Bobcats are yet to test the Lady Spartans this season.
Solon’s leaders against Marion were: scoring — Callie Levin 21, MaKinley Levin and Ava Stebral 12, Kaia Holtkamp five, Mia Stahle two and Elly Holubar one; rebounds — Holubar and MaK Levin six, Callie Levin four, Holtkamp three, Stahle two, Claire LaDage, Hailey Miller, Stebral and Wilson one; assists — Callie Levin four, Stebral three, Holtkamp two, Holubar and Miller one; steals — Callie Levin five, Holtkamp, LaDage and MaK Levin two, Holubar and Miller one.
Leading the Spartans against West Delaware were: scoring — Callie Levin 15, MaK Levin eight, Stebral seven, Holtkamp six, Holubar and Miller four, LaDage two and Wilson one; rebounds — Holtkamp and Holubar six, LaDage, MaK Levin, Stahle and Wilson two and Callie Levin one; assists —
Callie Levin three, Stahle two, MaK Levin, Holubar and Wilson one; steals — Callie Levin three, Stahle two, MaK Levin, Holubar and Wilson one; blocks — MaK Levin two.
Solon snares big Marion win, fall to West Delaware
January 27, 2022
Jeff Hess
Solon senior Kaia Holtkamp splits two Marion Wolves on her way to the basket, at home, during the Lady Spartans’ 53-42 triumph over WaMaC rival Marion, Jan. 18.
