DES MOINES – Masking their emotions with a numb, vacant stare, the Solon Spartan boys basketball team watched as Storm Lake players jumped with excitement along with their boisterous fans. The Spartans used their sweat-soaked jerseys to wipe away any tears that managed to escape from their eyes, and they collectively trudged towards the tunnel. For only the third time this season, they were on the wrong side of the celebration.

After a nail-biter, 68-60 overtime loss to the Storm Lake Tornadoes in the class 3A state quarterfinal, the Spartans’ season came to a screeching halt.

“It’s just two really good teams playing against each other,” Solon head coach Jared Galpin said. “I just feel bad for my guys that they’re on the wrong end of it.”

Despite being out-sized at every position against a fellow two-loss Storm Lake team, Solon held their own against the Tornadoes in a back-and-forth dogfight.

The Spartans were on their heels as their star, Tate McCollum, recovered behind the bench from a cramp he had sustained in his right calf at the end of the third quarter. They trailed 46-40 with just over six minutes to go against a tall, high-tempo Storm Lake team. However, Solon got hot from three-point range at the right time.

Sophomore Owen Bock drilled a three-point shot to start the long-range brigade for the Spartans. Then, Maddox Kelley did his part, sinking a three-pointer on back-to-back possessions to tie the game at 49 with 3:50 to go in the fourth quarter.

Just as the Solon fans simmered down from Kelley’s heroics, McCollum re-entered the game and scored with a shot from two feet behind the three-point line with 3:25 to go, giving the Spartans their first lead since the opening seconds of the second half. Shortly after, McCollum was forced to exit once again, this time due to a cramp in his left calf.

The final three minutes saw both teams trading baskets until the final minute. With just 40 seconds remaining, McCollum limped back onto the court with the score tied at 56 as Solon had possession.

He could barely walk without grimacing in pain, but McCollum stepped back and launched a shot. The attempt clanked off the front of the rim, no good. Kelley flew into the paint, secured the rebound and dished a pass back to McCollum for a second chance. The shot was open, but no good. The quarterfinal matchup was extended to overtime.

The Tornadoes pulled away in overtime, taking the lead after only 15 seconds and never looking back.

While Solon’s trip to Des Moines lasted just one day, the past four months had given head coach Jared Galpin much to be proud of.

“I know these guys aren’t satisfied and neither am I,” Galpin said. “I’m just going to reflect on the season and think about how proud I am of these guys and really enjoy what all we accomplished.”

Finishing the regular season with 20 wins and two losses, the Spartans finished atop the WaMaC Conference.

Following a narrow, 49-44 win over Central DeWitt in the sub-state final, Solon punched its ticket to the state tournament for the first time in 10 years.

“They played for each other,” Galpin said. “That’s why we were in this position to play at state.”

As the season concludes, the Spartans will say goodbye to seven seniors – Tyler Greazel, Ethan Ulch, Camden Lyons, Nick Gerdin, Nicholas Stahle, Ryan Locke, and Tanner Heims.

Heims, who played his final game as a Spartan on Monday, doesn’t know where he would be in life without basketball.

“It’s kind of crazy to think that it’s actually over,” Heims said.

However, Heims feels Solon will have a strong team next season. The Spartans return all five starters from Monday’s state quarterfinal, each of them currently a junior.

Grant Gordon, who scored a team-high 16 points for the Spartans on Monday, explained what it’s going to take to improve as a team next season. The junior emphasized working together over the course of the offseason to build chemistry and continuing to be resilient as they were this season.

“I think it was good for us to get here and play against a really good Storm Lake team,” Gordon said. “That will help us for next year.”

Despite their most successful season in a decade, Galpin’s hopes are even higher for next year.

“We were right there playing with the best teams in the state,” Galpin said. “Hopefully this lights that fire that we’ve got to get back to work and build our skill set.”

Galpin feels the team has built enthusiasm for basketball among the community and hopes that the Spartans can inspire young players to keep playing.