Douglas Miles

Your Prep Sports

SOLON – The Solon Spartans have broken through.

After watching its boys basketball season end one game shy of the state tournament five times in the last seven seasons, Solon showed its mettle this time around.

“It’s huge, it’s huge for our school, huge for our program,” Solon coach Jared Galpin said after the third-ranked Spartans outlasted No. 10 DeWitt Central, 49-44, in a Class 3A substate final Monday night at Solon High School. “Some of these kids got good experience last year against Clear Lake in this game and they hate losing. I think they just refuse to lose. That is how they prepped for this game and that is how they played this game. It means a lot to these kids.”

The victory delivers Solon (23-2) to the state tournament for the first time since 2016 and the seventh time in program history.

The Spartans will play a 3A state quarterfinal March 9 at Casey’s Center in Des Moines.

“We’re going to take the next day and enjoy this one and then get right back to work when we find out who we play,” Solon junior Maddox Kelley said. “Scout them and just get ready for the next game.”

DeWitt Central (15-9) had qualified for the state tournament twice in the last four years – including a runner-up finish in 2022 – and appeared set on returning for the second-straight year when it scored the first nine points of the game, prompting a Solon time out.

“Settle in,” Galpin told his team at the time. “That’s it. We’re getting stops, we just have to clear some rebounds. Settle in, get rebounds and the shots will come. We just have to stay patient and keep executing.”

The patience paid off.

Solon outscored the Sabers, 17-7, over the remainder of the first half and led by as many as 16 points at 33-17 late in the third frame.

On the verge of being routed, DeWitt Central responded like a defending state qualifier and used a 20-7 surge to get within a point at 40-39 with less than four minutes left in the game.

“We knew they were going to go on runs,” Kelley said. “We knew it wasn’t going to be a game where we would just blow them out. It was all about getting defensive stops, getting rebounds.”

Over the final two minutes, Kelley made a pair of crucial free throws and delivered the dagger – a driving layup – with 22 seconds left that provided Solon its final advantage of 49-44.

“Get the ball, get downhill,” Kelley said. “If not, kick it out to Tate (McCollum) to shoot the three. I liked what I was doing. I liked the spot, so I took it all the way and made it.”

Senior center Tanner Helms matched Kelley with 13 points, while McCollum added seven despite dislocating the pinky finger on his shooting hand in the first half and returning to action.

“I just knew I didn’t want to lose,” McCollum said. “So I had to get back in the game.”

Hudson Krukow led all scorers with 18 points for DeWitt Central.

Central DeWitt         9    7   14   14  –  44

Solon                          4   13  20   12  –  49

Central DeWitt (44) – Brady Meadows 2 1-2 6, Hudson Krukow 7 4-7 18, Max Froeschle 2 0-0 5, Ashton Schneider 2 2-4 6, Cal Kueter 3 0-0 7, Dawson Petsche 0 2-6 2, Carson Tobey 0 0-0 0, Totals 16 9-19 44.

Solon (49) – Tate McCollum 3 0-0 7, Maddox Kelley 4 5-9 13, Grant Gordon 2 0-0 6, Kaden Hoeper 1 0-0 2, Owen Bock 1 0-0 2, Ethan Ulch 1 0-0 3, Nick Gerdin 0 0-0 0, Simon Einwalter 1 0-2 3, Tanner Helms 5 3-7 13, Totals 18 8-18 49.

Three-point goals – DeWitt Central 3 (Froeschle 1, Kueter 1, Meadows 1), Solon 5 (Gordon 2, Ulch 1, Einwalter 1, McCollum 1). Total fouls: DeWitt Central 14, Solon 12. Fouled out – None.

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