There was no shortage of dominance from Solon boys and girls basketball as each team won out during its three-game slate last week. From Grinnell to Benton to Regina Catholic, the Spartans stood its ground and came out on top through the help of its newcomers.
Solon girls
The Lady Spartans bounced back from their season-opening loss to Clear Creek Amana in a 55-20 rout of Grinnell Tuesday, Dec. 9. Freshman Tenley Levin registered her first varsity double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds, followed by senior Delainey Durr’s 13 points.
The duo outscored Grinnell as a team, 28-20. The Tigers scored no more than seven points in a quarter, scoring as low as just two points in the second quarter.
Solon’s Friday, Dec. 12 matchup at Benton Community saw the Spartans run off with the lead in the second quarter and eventually the 50-40 victory. A 9-0 run saw them enter halftime with a 25-11 advantage, and the Spartans shut down Benton’s hopes of a comeback.
Durr’s strong performance of 20 points and six rebounds led the charge with Levin posting 11 pounds and six rebounds as well as junior Jerzey Haluska’s 10 points and seven rebounds. All three of those players recorded two steals apiece as well.
The same script rolled for the Regina matchup Saturday, Dec. 13: the Spartans’ second-quarter performance held off the Regals on the way to the 58-50 victory. Levin continues to turn heads after finishing the game with a 22-point, 11-rebound, five-assist, three-steal stat line. Haluska is also beginning to insert herself as a key member of the team after logging 15 points and six rebounds in the win.
Solon boys
After a strong showing in its first two outings, the Spartans overpowered Grinnell in a 68-27 effort. A 39-13 halftime lead kept growing with a Solon 24-9 third quarter at which point the game was out-of-reach for the Tigers.
Junior Maddox Kelley’s season-high 15 points along with five assists and six steals led the Spartans, followed by junior Tate McCollum’s 14 points. As Levin and Durr did for the girls game, the Kelley-McCollum duo outpaced the Tigers alone, 29-27.
McCollum turned around and registered 27 points, six rebounds, and three steals as Solon moved to 4-0 with a 71-35 win over Benton. Senior Tanner Heims was the next closest scorer with 15 points.
Solon’s 25-4 second quarter was key to a landslide victory — Benton’s lone points were scored in the last minute of the period.
Facing a 14-9 first quarter deficit, the Spartans blew the doors off of Regina on the way to a 63-42 win. A season-high 31 points and five steals for McCollum and junior Grant Gordon’s 11 points and eight rebounds aided the team’s fifth-straight win to start the season.
Now 5-0 on the season, the Spartans have won every game by at least 19 points.