SOLON — The Spartans were down two points heading into the fourth quarter of a tightly contested game against tenth-ranked Mount Vernon. Nolan Seagren attempted a three to open the quarter by taking the lead, but he could not connect. Caleb Bock was there, ready to attack the offensive glass. He outmuscled multiple Mustangs in the paint for the rebound and jumped back up with a vengeance. Bock kissed the ball off the glass and tied the game up for the Spartans.
But he was not done just yet.
Bock grabbed another rebound – this time on the defense – and hit the outlet pass to start the Spartan transition offense. Grant Gordon received the pass cleanly and saw nothing but open court the rest of the way. A Mustang defender nearly caught up to Gordon, but he was able to finish the layup through contact and earned a trip to the free throw line for an old-fashioned three-point play.
From there the Spartans controlled the game, putting up 27 points in the fourth quarter to upset their northern rivals, 58-41. A 12-0 run to start the fourth was the exclamation point for a massive turnaround by the Spartans who were down nine at halftime.
“The message at half was we had to be more aggressive. Offensively and defensively,” said head coach Jared Galpin, “We were more reactionary than being the aggressive team and it showed.”
Bock took that message to heart and turned around what had been a frustrating game for him up to that point. Bock, and the rest of the Spartan offense, had trouble moving the ball cleanly in the first half. Bock issued three turnovers in the game, all coming before the break. However, he flipped his stat line around by attacking the boards and getting second chance point opportunities. Bock finished one rebound shy of a double-double with nine rebound and ten points.
“Caleb’s always cool, calm and collected,” said Galpin, “you rarely get to see any kind of emotion on his face.”
The other stone-cold hoopers that led the Spartans to the massive victory were Gordon and Maddux Kelley. Gordon finished with a team-high 16 points and added three steals.
The sophomore has carved out a massive role with the Spartans and against the Mustangs, he was who was leaned upon by the Spartan offense all game.
Kelley also scored in double figures with 11 points on the night. He added a three pointer in the third quarter that brought the Spartans within one possession for the first time since around the 5:00 mark in the second quarter.
“They’re playing like seasoned players. Grant’s grown in every game as the year has gone on and [Kelley] does so much for us,” said Galpin, “he’s so valuable defensively, his energy, his speed, his shots. He makes a lot of plays for us. They don’t look like sophomores: they look like varsity basketball players.”
The win over the Mustangs kept the Spartan winning streak alive, improving it to six in a row. Spartan basketball is getting hot at the right time as we near the end of January.
Solon 67 Independence 51
The Spartans opened the week on the road in Independence Tuesday, Jan. 21.
Caleb Bock led all with 24 points with a dozen from Isiah Zoske and 11 by Jackson Link.
Upcoming Schedule
Friday, Jan. 31 – At Marion, 7:15 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 1 – At Regina Catholic, Iowa City, 1:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 4 – HOME vs. West Delaware, 7:15 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 7 – HOME vs. Independence, 7:15 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 11 – At Vinton-Shellsburg, 7:15 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 13 – At West Branch, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 20 – HOME vs. Washington, 7:00 p.m.
Postseason
Monday, Feb. 24 – 3A Substate First Round
Thursday, Feb. 27 – 3A Substate
Monday, March 3 – 3A Substate Finals
Monday, March 10-Friday, March 14 – 2025 State Tournament, Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines