SOLON — Winter coats were brought out for the first time of the year last week, and the Solon Lady Spartan girls’ basketball team tipped off for the first time this season. They took the court with an ambitious match-up in the first game of the season against the 13th-ranked 5A team in the state, the Iowa City West Trojans.

Despite hanging around for the first three quarters, the Lady Spartans could not get the job done against the Grace Fincham-led Trojans as they lost 59-44. The new era of Lady Spartan basketball started Friday, Nov. 22, with a layup from senior Kobi Lietz, assisted by junior Delaney Durr, the only upperclassmen to play minutes in the season opener. Lietz scored ten points and Durr followed with nine. Durr provided much of the long-range attack for the Lady Spartans as she went 3-5 from three-point range.

The deciding battle happened inside the paint. Sophomore Jerzey Haluska and freshman Beckett Kruse were tasked with limiting the damage Fincham can cause, a tough task for two players who started their first ever basketball game on Friday. Fincham scored 32 points and put the Trojans on their back against the 3A defending champions.

“I felt like [Fincham] had 80,” said Solon girls’ basketball head coach Jamie Smith.

Despite the offensive juggernaut of Fincham, the Spartans fought to stay within reach all game. A couple of early runs by the Trojans had Solon down 19-11 early in the second quarter. Then Haluska announced her arrival to the Lady Spartan fans. Haluska drove into the crowded paint drawing contact and the foul. She sank one of her two high arching free throw attempts. After a Trojan three on the following possession, Haluska found herself wide open on the wing with the ball. Her shot spun in through the bottom of the net. The three kept the Lady Spartans within single digits. The Trojans were able to stretch the lead to 20 after two big runs, one before the half and one directly after the break.

The Lady Spartans were down 20 with just 2:15 left in the third quarter. However, they did not roll over and gift the Trojans the win in the season opener. Smith took a quick timeout to get the girls back on track.

“I told them, ‘We are on our way to a running clock if we aren’t careful’,” Smith recalled, “After that timeout we responded.” Durr knocked down back-to-back three pointers. Starting a run for the Lady Spartans with ease. Haluska then battled two Trojans for the defensive rebound and took off down the court. Haluska found Kruse in stride and Kruse laid the ball in off the glass to put Solon within 12. The Solon defense clamped up on the next possession and Lietz forced a turnover by Sasha Baldwin, the Trojan three-point specialist.

On the offensive side, the ball found its way into the hands of Kruse. She got her defender to leave her feet on a pump fake, then pivoted to the left side of the basket and kissed the ball off the glass for the bucket. After a free throw made by the Trojans, the Lady Spartans had cut the 20-point West lead to 11 by the end of the third quarter.

“We played our butts off,” said Smith , “We kept playing hard and I think that’s a culture thing. It’s something we never have to question.” The Lady Spartans pulled to within nine points on the opening possession of the final quarter on a great drive by Lietz, dancing her way through defenders on her way to the basket. However, that would be the closest the game would get the rest of the way. Kruse drew a charge on the next possession and Lietz found herself with a great shot to pull within seven. Her short bunny jump shot rattled around the rim, touching every side of the cylinder before falling out of the hoop and into the hands of the Trojans. From there it was all Fincham and Iowa City West.

The Lady Spartans were plagued with turnovers all game. They ended with 23 turnovers compared to nine by the Trojans.

“We’ve got to clean it up, we haven’t had 23 turnovers in five years,” said Smith, “But some of it is who you’re playing.”

The Lady Spartans knew the game would be a tough one to start the season, especially with the lack of varsity experience on the squad. They were able to battle throughout and flashed their talent and high potential for the season even in the loss.