MOUNT VERNON — With her warmups back on, backpack slung over her shoulder, and tears in her eyes, senior Kobi Lietz walked out of the locker room after playing with her teammates one last time. Just 15 minutes earlier, the final buzzer sounded, marking the ending of a 52-32 sub-state semifinal loss to rival Mount Vernon. The Solon Girls Basketball 2024-25 season came to a close, along with Lietz’s career with the Spartans. The three year varsity starter had to say goodbye to a program that not only provided a team for her to play basketball with but provided a family and sisterhood for her as well.
“This program is amazing,” said an emotional Lietz. “It’s a lot different than other programs and it means so much to me.”
Before reuniting with her teammates, Lietz left a postgame interview with a wholehearted message:
“Thanks to my family, my coaches, my teammates, and the town for supporting me like crazy,” she said.
Lady Spartans head coach Jamie Smith couldn’t help but show his emotions when reflecting on Lietz’s time playing for Solon.
“Kobi’s special to me,” Coach Smith said. “She’s been part of this program since I got here, going back to when she was in middle school.”
When addressing the team after the game, Coach Smith talked about Lietz, and left the team with this:
“You think you’re gonna be here for a long time, the next thing you know you wake up and it’s over,” he said.
The Lady Spartans will return 14 of their 15 players next season. Delainey Durr, whose season ended prematurely with a foot injury, will be next year’s lone senior. She was the team’s second-leading scorer behind Lietz, averaging 12.3 points per game before the injury.
“I learned not to take playing with this team for granted,” Durr explained. “I know I have one more season left, but I also know it goes by so fast.”
Durr knows, as the lone senior and returning leading scorer, she will play a big role in the Lady Spartan’s success next season.
“I want to be even more of a leader next year than I was this year,” Durr said. “Every second I leave on the court I’ll never get back, so I need to leave it all out there for my last season.”
Finishing the season with a 12-11 record, the Lady Spartans have a lot to look forward to in the years to come. With the young roster they have, they’ll continue to improve with experience, leadership, and culture.
Durr looks to fill the shoes that her teammate and friend Lietz will leave behind after an outstanding and unforgettable career.
Before following his players back to the team bus, Smith praised Lietz one last time and shared a heartfelt hug with his senior leader.
“She’s an unbelievable kid,” Smith said. “We wouldn’t have won a state championship without Kobi. She led by example and we’re gonna miss her.”