Solon rallies late, joins the Wamac party in the 3A semifinals

DES MOINES — Of course, the Solon Spartans have a star.

But it would be foolish to call them a one-trick pony.

Kobi Lietz ascended to co-star status in the regional finals. Monday night, it was Hailey Miller’s turn.

Miller scored three straight baskets to allow Solon to pull away from a 44-44 deadlock, and the second-ranked Spartans topped No. 8 Dubuque Wahlert, 54-46, in a Class 3A quarterfinal at the girls’ state basketball tournament Monday night at Wells Fargo Arena.

“Hailey’s an amazing player,” University of Iowa recruit Callie Levin said. “She’s underrated. She’s one of the top players in the conference, and we want her to take those shots.”

Miller scored 21 points, Levin 19, and the Spartans (23-2) earned their first state-tournament win since 1998, when they concluded a back-to-back 2A championship run.

Solon trailed 44-41, then scored the next 11 points.

Levin started it with a 3-pointer with 3:40 to go, then it was Miller’s time to shine. The junior converted three straight shots, the last of which made it 50-44 with 1:05 left.

“Coach (Jamie Smith) put in a new play to try to get me to the rim,” Miller said. “We had other people step up, other people that can hit shots.”

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Girls’ state basketball photos: Solon vs. Dubuque Wahlert in 3A quarterfinals

Smith said, “Hailey’s a winner. We saw some matchups that we thought we could win.”

Solon advancen to the semifinals; it will face No. 3 West Marshall (23-1) or No. 6 Sioux Center (18-5) at 3:15 Thursday afternoon.

Those teams play the final 3A quarterfinal at 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Solon is one of three Wamac Conference teams in the 3A semis, joining Vinton-Shellsburg and Benton Community.

The Spartans jumped in front early, leading by as many as 11 points, before settling for a 29-22 halftime lead.

Wahlert (18-7) surged back with a barrage of drives to the basket and passes into the paint. The Golden Eagles seemed to be in good shape with a 42-38 lead and Levin in foul trouble.

“Coach called a good timeout,” Levin said. “We were able to calm down, settle down. We remembered, ‘Why are we here?’ We’re here to win it, and we were able to fight back.”

Hilary Wilson hit a couple of 3-pointers and scored eight points. Anna Quillin grabbed 10 rebounds.

One-trick pony? Not in the least.

Emma Donovan and Claire Lueken scored 13 points apiece for Wahlert. Donovan snagged 12 boards.

Solon 54, Dubuque Wahlert 46

Class 3A State Quarterfinal, at Des Moines

DUBUQUE WAHLERT (46): Olivia Donovan 2-10 0-0 4, Maria Freed 2-3 4-4 8, Nora King 4-13 0-2 8, Emma Donovan 5-11 2-4 13, Claire Lueken 6-15 0-0 13, Claire King 0-2 0-0 0, Kylie Sieverding 0-0 0-0 0, Ruth Tauber 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 19-55 6-10 46.

SOLON (54): Kobi Lietz 1-4 1-2 4, Hailey Miller 9-17 1-2 21, Mia Stahle 1-2 0-0 2, Callie Levin 5-17 6-6 19, Hilary Wilson 3-5 0-0 8, Claire LaDage 0-0 0-0 0, Anna Quillin 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 19-47 8-10 54.

Dubuque Wahlert 13 9 13 11 — 46

Solon 18 11 5 20 — 54

3-point goals: Wahlert 2-9 (Freed 0-1, N. King 0-3, E. Donovan 1-1, Lueken 1-3, C. King 0-1), Solon 8-17 (Lietz 1-4, Miller 2-5, Levin 3-6, Wilson 2-2). Team fouls: Wahlert 13, Solon 12. Fouled out: E. Donovan. Rebounds: Wahlert 35 (E. Donovan 12), Solon 31 (Quillin 10). Assists: Wahlert 7 (three with 2), Solon 8 (Levin 3). Steals: Wahlert 2 (O. Donovan, E. Donovan), Solon 7 (Miller 2). Turnovers: Wahlert 10, Solon 10.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com