For most of the night, you could hear him without ever looking. The voice, cutting through the chaos of a packed high school gym, belonged to Solon boys basketball head coach Jared Galpin. But when the final buzzer sounded, you could hardly hear him at all. Not even with the microphone he lifted to thank the crowd. His voice was lost. His team had won. And for the first time in ten years, Solon was heading to state.
The eighth-ranked Spartans (23–2) earned that trip with a 49-44 win over No. 10 Central DeWitt in Monday night’s substate final. Five of the past six seasons, Solon had fallen at this exact stage. After trailing 9-0 early, Galpin, face already red and dripping sweat, called a timeout. The Spartans answered with a 17-7 run to take a 17-16 lead into halftime.
Central DeWitt didn’t fade. Hudson Krukow poured in a game-high 16 points to keep the Sabers within reach, and Solon needed a response. They found it in junior Maddox Kelley. Told to “go through bodies” during a timeout, Kelley attacked the paint, drew fouls and finished with 13 points.
“I’m spoiled to have a kid like Maddox,” Galpin said.
Senior Tanner Heims delivered, too, coming off the bench to score 13 points and control the glass. Leading 37-30 entering the fourth quarter, Solon kept the pace. Kelley scored seven of his 13 in the final period, icing the game with a gritty finish through contact for the final basket.
“I knew that feeling from last year, and I didn’t like it,” Kelley said. “This feels really, really good.”
When the clock hit zeroes, Kelley hurled the ball into the air. Galpin leapt into the arms of his assistants as the team raced to the weight room. Standing in the center of his players, his voice reduced to a rasp, Galpin summed it up.
“We’re fighters. This is who we are,” he said to his team. “This has been a long time coming. I don’t think I’ll sleep tonight.”
Solon outlasts Assumption 71-51
Solon Economist
The Spartans, fresh off a 74-43 domination of South Tama County in a Class 3A First Round game Monday, Feb. 23, hosted Assumption Catholic for the second round Thursday, Feb. 26. Solon jumped out to a 9-0 lead and took the first period 16-7. The Knights regrouped and closed the gap in the second, trailing only by five, 28-23 at the halftime break. Ethan Ulch and Grant Gordon drained a three-pointer each in the period as Assumption’s defense focused on Tate McCollum, holding the Spartans’ leading scorer to just four points in the half.
Gordon, Maddox Kelley, and Simon Einwalter nailed timely 3-pointers for 33-25, 36-29, 39-34, and 42-36 leads as Solon took the third quarter 46-38. Assumption came within eight points of the Spartans in the fourth but a trio of three-pointers from McCollum, Owen Bock, and Gordon made it 58-42 with four minutes left to play. Wholesale substitutions ensued in the final minutes as head coach Jared Galpin put seniors Tyler Greazel, Cam Lyons, Nick Gerdin, Ryan Locke, and Nick Stahle in with Gerdin draining a three for Solon’s final points.
Kelley and Gordon led with 18 points each including four three-point baskets for Gordon, Einwalter had a ten-point night with nine points from McCollum, six from Bock, three apiece by Ulch and Gerdin, and two points each by Kaden Hoeper and Tanner Heims. Kelley and Einwalter led Solon on the boards with five rebounds each, McCollum, Kelley, and Gordon made four assists each with five steals by Kelley.
2026 Boys Class 3A State Basketball Tournament information
Monday, March 9 – Class 3A Quarterfinals
2:00 p.m. or 3:45 p.m., Note: pairings were finalized after Xaver at Wahlert Tuesday night.
Wednesday, March 11 – Class 3A Semifinals
5:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.
Friday, March 13 – Class 3A Championship, 1:00 p.m.
Tickets – https://hyveetix.evenue.net/events/BB
How to watch – IHSAA will provide free streaming through its website (www.ihsaa.org) and have events appearing across multiple platforms through arrangements with Gray Media (KCRG, Cedar Rapids), Marquee Sports Network, Mediacom (MC22), and Nexstar (WHO, Des Moines), as well as finals on Iowa PBS (www.iowapbs.org).
For more information – www.iahsaa.org/basketball/state-tournament-central/.