SOLON — The varsity boys improved their spotless record to 9-0 overall (6-0 in the WaMaC East) as they caged the Maquoketa Cardinals and battered the Benton Community Bobcats last week to open 2024 atop the WaMaC East.
Solon 72 Maquoketa 59
The Spartans visited the Cardinals last Thursday (Jan. 4) and flummoxed their feathered foes with a 20-point barrage in the first period. By halftime Solon was up 44-30 and battered the red birds 25-9 in the third for a 69-39 advantage going into the final period.
Vince Steinbrech led all with 24 points, Jake Benzing had 17, Gehrig Turner produced 11, Rylen Stiegelmeyer and Jackson Link had six points apiece with four from Caleb Bock, and two points apiece from Austin Knight and Brett White. Turner led Solon with eight rebounds, Steinbrech had six while Stiegelmeyer and White made five each.
“This was a big game coming out of the (winter) break for us,” said Coach Jared Galpin. “Maquoketa is a team that plays fast and is a high scoring team. They average 73 points per game. Our focus was to slow them down in transition, cover their shooters, and help on Tye Hardin when he drove. I thought we did a decent job of it for the most part. It was a great defensive effort by the team. We held them 14 points below their average.” Hardin had a 13-point night.
“Offensively, we did a great job of moving and sharing the ball. Vince Steinbrech did a great job of getting to the basket. Guys were aggressive on the offensive glass. We ended the game with 11 offensive rebounds. We had good contributions off of the bench. Jackson Link hit some big 3-point shots to help space the floor. It was a good team win to start after break.”
Solon 77 Benton Community 37
The Bobcats slipped past the Spartans for a 13-11 first period lead but were punished with a 28-point retaliatory barrage in the second to trail Solon 39-23 at the half. Solon added 19 points in the third and 19 points in the fourth while holding Benton to only four points in the final eight minutes.
Benzing led with 19 points while Stiegelmeyer had 16 and Steinbrech added ten. Turner had a nine-point night with eight from Link and three points apiece by Karsyn Regennitter, Bock, and Isaiah Zoske. Knight, Jace Janssen, and Gavin Chhabra-Miller put up two points each. Steinbrech and Benzing pulled down five rebounds apiece with four from Turner. Knight had a pair of blocks as well.
Coach Galpin said the Spartans started slow in the first quarter. “We guarded well, but we couldn’t hit our shots in the first quarter. The guys settled in, and our defensive energy translated into offense for us. We got into a rhythm and started hitting shots. Jake Benzing scored 17 points in the first half. He has a knack of hitting shots when we need them.”
The coach added the squad kept the same energy in the second half. “Rylen Stiegelmeyer had a big second half. It was great holding them to 14 second half points.”
Upcoming events
Friday, Jan. 12 – At West Delaware (Manchester), 7:15 p.m. (JV girls & freshmen boys play at 4:30 p.m., varsity girls and sophomore boys at 6:00 p.m.)
Tuesday, Jan. 16 – Home vs. Mt. Vernon, 7:15 p.m. (JV girls & freshmen boys play at 4:30 p.m., varsity girls and sophomore boys at 6:00 p.m.)
Friday, Jan. 19 – At Independence, 8:00 p.m. (Frosh-soph girls & freshmen boys play at 4:00 p.m., sophomore boys at 5:20 p.m., and varsity girls at 6:30 p.m.)
Iowa High School Athletic Association Class 3A rankings 1/8/24
1 Clear Lake
2 ADM
3 Waverly-Shell Rock
4 Solon
5 Decorah
6 Bishop Heelan (Sioux City)
7 Assumption (Davenport)
8 MOC-Floyd Valley
9 Ballard
10 Mount Vernon
WaMaC East standings (1/8/24)
Conference Overall
Solon 6-0 9-0
Mount Vernon 3-0 8-2
Marion 2-1 6-3
Independence 3-4 5-4
CPU 0-6 0-10
West Delaware 0-5 0-9