SOLON — Kobie Lietz grabbed the Benton missed shot and started moving in transition. Usually, the senior guard would find an outlet pass to get the offense going, but this time Lietz took it upon herself. Her blonde braids gliding in the wind as Lietz sprinted down the court veering in and out of the traffic of the Bobcats’ defense and some of Lietz’s own teammates. She seemed to be moving twice as fast as anyone on the court.
Lietz had her sights set on the basket and nothing was going to stop her from getting there. Even a slap on the arm as Lietz went up for the fast break layup had no effect. As the whistle blew for a foul, the ball kissed off the backboard and fell through the bottom of the net.
The crowd exploded for the impressive show of athleticism that ended with the basket and a foul for a chance to complete the old-school three-point play.
“She’s athletic, a good ball handler, but she’s also just fast,” said Solon girls basketball head coach Jamie Smith.
With the basket, the Lady Spartans had extended their lead to 34-11 with just under two minutes remaining in the first half. They had full control of the game from the tipoff and would beat the winless Benton Bobcats 61-24 to improve to 3-2 on the season.
The Solon defense only allowed four points in the first quarter and continued their suffocating defense throughout the game. They forced Benton to go on scoring droughts of four minutes, five minutes, and six minutes at various points in the game.
While the defense put on a show, it needed to in a game where Solon struggled to get things going on offense. The team went 5/22 from beyond the arc and was held to only 40% from the field. They struggled in their set offense to f ind the open shot and to maintain good ball control as they were forced into 12 turnovers.
“Sometimes offensively, it might not be a good night,” said Smith, “but we can always play a good defense.”
A strong defense has been a Solon specialty for the past couple of years. Smith brought in an offensive minded attack during his first years at the helm of the program but has shifted the emphasis to the defense.
“When I first got here, we sold them on the offense,” said Smith, “Then tricked them into playing defense. Now defense is kind of the staple for us.”
The offense was able to get going just enough thanks to Lietz’ ability to move the ball in transition and find freshman Beckett Kruse in the post to let her go to work. Lietz had 19 points and never missed a shot, going 8/8 on the night. Kruse supplemented the attack from the guard with an interior game that seemed almost unstoppable. Kruse used spin moves, fadeaways, and step throughs to attack from the post and finished with ten points.
“I really try to look at her a lot,” grinned Lietz. “Just because I know a lot of times, she’s going to make them.”
The Lady Spartans put themselves above .500 for the f irst time this season with the win, as they continue their gauntlet of a schedule to start the season.