Senior Kobi Lietz had the honor of dribbling up the court as the final seconds ticked away Saturday night, sealing a hard-fought 51-39 victory for the Solon Lady Spartans (12-10) over the Assumption Knights (9-13). The win advanced Solon to the Class 3A Region 1 semifinals and sent the home crowd into celebration after a tense, back-and-forth battle.
“That’s a big win. I don’t know if people realize how big of a win that is for us,” said Coach Smith, who looked both relieved and exhausted after the intense four quarters.
The Spartans entered the game riding momentum from their dominant 61-25 victory over Vinton-Shellsburg (5-17) earlier in the week. However, their latest win was anything but easy.
Neither team held a lead larger than four points in the first half, with Solon narrowly leading Assumption 12-11 after the first quarter and 27-25 at halftime. The effort on the court was contagious. Multiple times, girls played out to grab loose balls or rebounds.
The turning point? A timeout late in the third quarter.
With 3:54 remaining in the period, the game was still deadlocked at 30-30. Coach Smith used the break to reset his team, and when they returned to the floor, they looked completely revitalized. Solon rattled off the next 12 points and outscored Assumption 12-5 in the third quarter, taking a 39-30 lead heading into the fourth. You could feel the collective sigh of relief from the Spartan faithful.
“I think they finally started listening to me,” Smith joked after the game.
Sophomore Jerzey Haluska sparked the run, scoring five straight points. One highlight play saw the ball move fluidly around the perimeter, passing through the hands of every Spartan before finding Haluska under the hoop for an easy two.
The offense leaned heavily on sophomore Laney Johnson, who showcased her sharpshooting ability. Whenever the Spartans needed a spark, Johnson was there to hit a three. Johnson finished with 17 points, including four three-pointers and a tough finish for an and-1.
“My teammates kept getting me the ball, and I was hitting shots,” said a smiling Johnson.
Coach Smith had high praise for his young star.
“She’s one of the best shooters I’ve been around—she’s got no range limits,” he said.
Solon maintained their momentum in the fourth quarter, using the free-throw line to their advantage. They outscored Assumption 12-9 to close out the 51-39 victory.
The win advanced Solon to face Highway 1 and WaMaC East rival Mount Vernon (21-1) Wednesday evening. We will have a full report and photos in the Thursday, Feb. 27 edition of the Solon Economist.
The winner will face the victor of a Mediapolis (21-1) vs. Benton Community (8-14) semifinal in the Regional Championship Saturday, Feb. 22 at 7:00 p.m. at the highest-ranked team’s site. In the final Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union rankings for the ’24-’25 season, Mount Vernon was ranked No. 1 with Mediapolis ranked No. 13.