Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

SOLON – Solon is well aware of what it is not this season.

The Spartans aren’t the biggest, tallest or even the most skilled team around.

“We aren’t going to out-size anybody,” Solon senior Nolan Seagren shrugged.

Rather than dwelling on what they aren’t this season the Spartans are focused on what they believe they are – a tough, hard-nosed bunch of grinders.

Solon toughed, scrapped a clawed its way to 2-0 on Friday with a 57-47 knock down, drag out win over Clear Creek Amana in a WAMAC cross-divisional slugfest in Solon.

“We recognize that energy and toughness can outplay talent,” Solon sophomore Simon Einwalter said. “We thrive off what we do well and tonight we got the W.”

Solon shot 40 percent from the field on Friday, was just 6-of-22 from 3-point range and 5-of-15 from the free throw line.

However, the Spartans dug in on defense, holding Clear Creek Amana (0-2) scoreless for the final 4 minutes of the third quarter while building an 12-point lead it would never give up.

“We just need to be scrappy,” Seagren said. We are little, to say the least, we aren’t tall but if we out-hustle, out-rebound, out-steal, out-turnover and work harder than the other team it’s going to be good.”

Solon doesn’t have a starter in its lineup over 6-foot-2 and doesn’t list a player on its roster taller than 6-foot-3.

Yet the Spartans scrapped their way to a 37-28 rebounding edge on Friday, a tally that included 17 offensive rebounds.

“We talked before the game, we are outsized, we have to be the tougher, scrappier team,” Solon coach Jared Galpin said. “We have to be scrappy and tough and I thought we did that.”

Caleb Bock had a team-high 11 points and six rebounds before fouling out in the fourth quarter.  The 6-foot-1 Einwalter added 10 points and six rebounds and Isaiah Zoske and sophomore Grant Gordon each had nine points.

“We just battled the whole time,” Seagren said. “We were relentless the whole game. Down the stretch the defense was excellent.”

Clear Creek Amana led by as many as seven points in the second quarter and held a 25-24 halftime lead.

The Clippers led 31-30 when Cale Berry converted a layup off a Brody Clubb feed with four minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Solon scored the final 13 points of the quarter to take a 43-31 lead and the Clippers would get no closer than four points the rest of the game.

Gordon started the 13-0 run with a 3-pointer and four Spartans had baskets during the spurt.

“We have to win all the small parts of the game,” Galpin said. “That means the box outs, the rebounds, the loose balls, the screens, the effort plays we have to win all those things and it doesn’t take talent to do those things you just have to be fundamentally sound and consistent at doing it and they were tonight.”

Clear Creek Amana opened the fourth quarter with an 8-0 run but Einwalter stopped the run with a 3-pointer that pushed the margin to 46-39 with 5:10 to play.

It was 50-45 with 3:17 remaining but Solon held Clear Creek Amana to just two point over the final three minutes.

“The next game is our next challenge,” Einwalter said. “We wanted to go out and play defense and shut them down. All wins are pretty.”

Solon                                      13  11  19  14  –  57

Clear Creek Amana          12  13   6   16  –  47

Solon (57) – Karsyn Regennitter 0-1 0-0 0, Isaiah Zoske 4-12 0-1 9, Caleb Bock 5-9 0-0 11, Nolan Seagren 1-4 2-8 4, Maddox Kelley 0-8 1-2 1, Grant Gordon 3-4 1-2 9, Kaden Hoeper 2-2 0-0 4, Ethan Ulch 1-2 0-0 2, Simon Einwalter 4-8 0-0 10, Jackson Link 0-1 1-2 1, Tanner Heims 3-6 0-0 6, Totals 23-57 5-15 57.

Clear Creek Amana (47) – Hayden Umoren 2-5 1-1 5, Cale Berry 1-1 0-0 2, Brock Hilsman 3-7 1-1 8, Beckett Boeset 0-0 1-2 1, Andrew Rotzoll 2-10 2-4 8, Robert Meade 5-9 1-4 11, Owen Rosenberg 2-3 0-1 4, Brody Clubb 3-8 1-2 8, Totals 18-43 7-15 47.

3-point field goals – Solon 6-22 (Regennitter 0-1, Zoske 1-7, Bock 1-1, Seagren 0-3, Kelley 0-4, Gordon 2-3, Einwalter 2-2, Link 0-1), Clear Creek Amana 4-18 (Umoren 0-1, Hilsman 1-4, Rotzoll 2-9, Clubb 1-4). Rebounds – Solon 37 (Bock 7), Clear Creek Amana 28 (Meade 5, Rotzoll 5). Total fouls – Solon 18, Clear Creek Amana 16. Turnovers – Solon 14, Clear Creek Amana 19. Fouled out – Solon (Bock). Technical fouls – Clear Creek Amana (Rosenberg)

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