SOLON — The 2022-23 girls basketball season opened with a 65-40 win over Martensdale-St. Mary’s Friday, Nov. 18 at home. The Lady Spartans entered the season at No. 13 in Class 3A in the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union’s (IGHSAU) preseason rankings while the Blue Devils were No. 8 in class 1A.
Solon jumped out to a 15-8 lead with baskets by Hailey Miller, Kobi Lietz, Mia Stahle, Kerrigan Lyons, and Callie Levin. A Levin three-pointer made it 18-10 and Solon won the first period 21-12.
Solon went up 25-18 as Levin hit ten points on her way to a game-high 25-point performance. Hilary Wilson struck with two baskets and a free throw as the Lady Spartans built a 33-25 halftime lead. Solon led 44-31 at the end of the third after Wilson, Levin, Miller, and Sara Holtz struck. Lietz, Levin, Addi Greene, Miller, and Wilson scored in the fourth with Holtz draining a three-point bucket to make it 63-40. Holtz sank the last basket for the 65-40 final score.
In addition to Levin, Miller scored nine points, Wilson produced seven with six apiece by Holtz and Lyons (a pair of three-pointers). Lietz, Stahle, and Greene put up four points apiece. Wilson led on the boards with ten rebounds, Levin made eight, Lietz had six, Miller made five, Stahle had four, Lyons pulled down two, and Greene and Holtz had one each. Miller, Stahle, and Levin had five assists each as well.
From coach Jamie Smith’s perspective, it was definitely a first night performance; “We weren’t bad, we weren’t good, we were just somewhere on the court.” After halftime though, and a little change up in the zone, the Lady Spartans, building back after losing five seniors (Ava Stebral, Kaia Holtkamp, Makinley Levin, Alex Locke, and Ely Holubar) to graduation. “You can tell, our depth’s not where it’s gonna be two or three weeks from now when we get some people back.” Smith added even with three sophomores and three freshmen in the line-up, the learning curve isn’t that steep. “The good thing about it is that in the last five years, we don’t vary from what we do, so we’re not gonna change a lot depending on who we have, we just need kids to step up. I trust the program; I trust the kids.”
Nodaway Valley visits Saturday, Nov. 26 with the JV tipping off at 2:00 p.m. followed by the varsity at 3:30.
Kerrigan Lyons gives a little smirk while preparing to pass to a teammate in the varsity season opener Friday, Nov. 18 at home against Class 1A Martensdale-St. Mary’s.