SOLON — Friday night was yet another chilly night in eastern Iowa, but Solon High School’s gymnasium was set ablaze by a dominant performance from the visiting Clear Creek Amana (CCA) Clippers. Clear Creek Amana (No. 9 in Class 4A in the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union’s Dec.4 rankings) defeated defending class 3A State Champ Solon Lady Spartans, 59-45.

The Spartan girls knocked down some shots early to create a back-and-forth first quarter, but the Clippers’ defense was simply too suffocating for the Lady Spartans to handle. With a tight score of 15-12 after the first quarter, the Clippers were able to use a few turnovers and an authoritative night in the paint to capture the momentum and never give it back. Junior Averie Lower led the way for CCA with a very impressive 20 point performance.

Junior Delainey Durr led the way offensively for Solon with an impressive 20 points of her own, getting hot from three- point land in the second half.

After the game, Solon head coach Jamie Smith was quick to acknowledge the fight that his girls showed until the final buzzer.

“We’re not big into moral victories but I do like the way we kept playing…Hustling and defense is something we base our program on.”

Coach Smith knows what it takes to win a state title with his team claiming the class 3A championship just nine months ago. He noted some points to improve on and kept it simple.

“Our standards are pretty high. We shot the ball well, but you can’t turn the ball over as much as we did.”

The Lady Spartans (1-2) returned to the court Tuesday at Grinnell High School (after this edition’s deadline), looking to avenge Friday night’s loss and get back to .500 on the season.