SOLON — The Lady Spartans made a pair of season sweeps last week as they knocked off West Delaware for the second time Tuesday, Jan. 31 and rival Mount Vernon Friday, Feb. 3 in a final seconds nail-biter after a close win at Mount Vernon last month. The win sealed Solon’s spot as the WaMaC East Champions with a 12-1 conference record (18-2 overall) on Senior Night.
“Winning the WaMaC was a goal of ours so that is special,” said Head Coach Jamie Smith. “Winning a conference title is hard. It is an all-season thing, not sure people realize how hard it is to do.”
The Mustangs finished second at a distant 7-5 and 12-7.
Solon held onto their No.2 spot in the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union’s weekly rankings issued Jan. 31 with Estherville Lincoln Central No. 1, Benton Community No. 3, and Mount Vernon No. 12.
Solon 58 West Delaware 49
The Hawks came close to upsetting Solon Jan. 13 in Manchester as Solon won 47-46. The rematch Tuesday, Jan. 31 was less climactic after the Lady Spartans won the first period 14-12 and build a 26-21 halftime lead before a 25-point effort in the third for a commanding 51-35 advantage going into the final eight minutes.
Hailey Miller, Mia Stahle, and Callie Levin put in 14 points each to lead Solon. Anna Quillin added ten points with six from Hilary Wilson. Stahle sank four three-point baskets in the contest, Levin led in rebounds with seven while Wilson and Quillin made six apiece. Miller had six assists with three steals each by Miller and Stahle.
Solon 50 Mt. Vernon 49
“Anytime you can beat Mount Vernon it is great, but to do it twice is extra nice,” said Coach Smith.
It almost didn’t happen however as the Mustangs galloped to a 10-0 lead early in the first period prompting Smith to call for two time-out’s. After the second strategy session, Miller put the Lady Spartans on the scoreboard with two points before Levin and Kobi Lietz drained four three-point buckets to tie the game at 14 at the end of the quarter. Levin sank two more three-pointers in the second while Miller, Quillin, and Lietz added field goals for a 32-28 halftime lead.
Levin hit her fifth three-point basket in the third period for a 35-28 lead after Miller had sank one for a 32-28 advantage. The Mustangs chipped away steadily at Solon’s lead and trailed by only six points at the end of the period 41-35 and narrowed the gap to 43-40 with six minutes left to play. With just under a minute remaining the Mustangs trailed by one basket 50-48. Mount Vernon’s Brynley Rasmussen went to the line and made one of two free throw attempts making it 50-49 with 50.4 seconds left to go. With 18.5 remaining, Smith called for a time out, and called for another with 5.2 to go. The Mustangs had possession for the final seconds, put up a shot that did not go in, rebounded and again missed as time ran out in the midst of a chaotic scramble on the floor.
When asked how things looked from his seat, Smith replied, “It looked fun! That’s what happens when you play really good teams. There are going to be times where you look really good and times where the other team looks really good. Defensively we did a great job on their last possession. They didn’t get the look they wanted and we turned it into a scrambler. Fun game.”
Levin had a 20-point night with six three-pointers and five rebounds. Miller produced nine points, Lietz and Quillin added eight apiece with five from Wilson.
Seniors Claire LaDage, Sara Holtz, Kerrigan Lyons, and Wilson were honored for their contributions to the program in a pre-game ceremony.
Postseason run for Des Moines starts Saturday
The Lady Spartans are the No. 1 seed in Class 3A Region 2 and host 2-16 Fairfield Saturday, Feb. 11 at 7:00 p.m. The winner plays at Solon Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 7:00 p.m. against the winner of a Central Lee (8-11) and Davis County (8-13) contest. The Regional Final, with a trip to the State Tournament on the line, is set for Saturday, Feb. 18 at the site of the highest-ranked team, which means Solon.
Mount Vernon faces Tipton Saturday with the winner taking on the victor of an Assumption vs. Washington quarterfinal game.
Tickets ($6) for Saturday’s game are available online at www.gobound.com/ia/ighsau/girlsbasketball/2022-23/solon/v.
“This is what we worked for,” said Smith. “We put ourselves in a position to play three games at home. We feel we can make a big run here for the next two weeks. It’s going to be fun!”
The Lady Spartans celebrate a 50-49 win over Mount Vernon Friday, Feb. 3. It was the second win over their rival this season and sealed the WaMaC East Championship.