26 years later, Solon is a girls’ basketball state champion once more

DES MOINES — His father by his side, his sister in his heart, Jamie Smith watched the final seconds tick down.

“You know me,” he said. “I’m an emotional guy. I wear my heart on my sleeve — good, bad or indifferent.”

This was good. Very good.

After a 10-point lead had vanished, third-ranked Solon regrouped and regained control in the last 6 minutes. The Spartans topped No. 1 Estherville-Lincoln Central, 54-47, for the Class 3A girls’ basketball state championship Friday night at Wells Fargo Arena.

“To finally accomplish this, it’s a super amazing feeling,” senior Hailey Miller said.

“Nothing like it,” added Anna Quillin. “We got it done.”

Solon (24-3) closed the season with 12 consecutive wins.

“I’m excited for these kids, this community, my family, everybody who invested in this team,” Smith said.

“I’ve been through a lot with these kids. I love them like my own. And they made me look better than I am.”

The championship is the fourth for Solon, which captured 2A titles in 1994, 1997 and 1998.

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University of Iowa signee Callie Levin overcame a big, early foul scare (two personals in the first 2:39) and led the Spartans with 27 points.

Levin made the all-tournament team along with Quillin, whose 40 rebounds in three games this week is a 3A tournament record.

ELC’s Haylee Stokes, who scored a 3A-record 89 points this week (including 44 in the first round) was the all-tournament captain.

The rest of the team consisted of ELC’s Rylee Yager, Mount Vernon’s Chloe Meester and Des Moines Christian’s Abby Hall.

Stokes scored 30 points Friday.

Trailing 36-26 when Levin gathered a steal and fed it to Mia Stahle for a bucket at the 3:50 mark of the third quarter, ELC (24-3) rallied, and took leads of 38-37 and 40-39 early in the fourth.

But Levin converted a three-point play with 5:52 left to put Solon back in front, 42-40. Then Kobi Lietz hit a layup after Stahle’s steal, and Miller tallied to make it 46-40 with 4:30 to go.

Levin’s 3-pointer with 2:00 left was the final dagger, extending the margin to 51-42.

“To bring this back to Solon ... I’m so blessed to do it with some of my best friends,” Levin said.

Miller added 14 points. Stahle scored nine. And, though scoreless, Quillin was a gigantic factor with 16 boards.

“She’s a beast on the boards,” Miller said. “She can jump out of her mind and gives 100-percent effort.”

Levin was called for a charging foul on the Spartans’ first possession, and was whistled for her second foul shortly thereafter.

“Obviously, that was super frustrating,” she said. “They changed my defensive assignment, so I wasn’t in the play as much.”

Levin had 17 points by halftime, and the Spartans led 28-22.

Solon was a girls’ basketball juggernaut in the 1980s and ‘90s (current assistant Mark Sovers played the same role on Ed Hansen’s three title teams), but the program slid somewhat, and hadn’t been the same until recently.

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Smith came to Solon in 2018. His first team was 3-18. His second was 9-13.

But this group, these seniors, lifted the Spartans back to the top.

“It wasn’t always perfect,” Smith said. “When you see the day-to-day struggle, it means a little more.”

Around the time he came to Solon, Smith lost his sister, Billie, to complications from gastroparesis. His father, Jim, spends his summers back home in Osceola and winters in Solon as Jamie’s assistant.

“I’ve thought about my sister a lot lately,” Smith said. “Dad ... he’s my best friend. I get to do what I love, and I get to do it with my dad. Win or lose, I know he loves me. I don’t have to prove anything to him.”

Quillin said, “Coach is just a guy who cares. He says he loves us, no matter what. That’s all you can ask for, is someone who cares.”

He’s an emotional guy. Now he’s a champion.

They all are.

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Photos: Solon vs. ELC in 2024 Class 3A girls’ state basketball championship

Solon 54, Estherville-Lincoln Central 47

Class 3A State Final, at Des Moines

SOLON (54): Kobi Lietz 2-4 0-6 4, Hailey Miller 6-18 2-2 14, Mia Stahle 4-6 0-0 9, Anna Quillin 0-1 0-0 0, Callie Levin 8-16 7-9 27, Delainey Durr 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 20-47 9-17 54.

ESTHERVILLE-LINCOLN CENTRAL (47): Tatum Dunlavy 0-0 0-0 0, Rylee Yager 1-8 0-0 2, Jasey Anderson 3-8 0-0 6, Haylee Stokes 9-24 10-10 30, Hillary Ruschy 2-13 2-2 7, Cara Schiltz 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 16-55 12-12 47.

Solon 14 14 9 17 — 54

Estherville-Lincoln Central 11 11 13 12 — 47

3-point goals: Solon 5-14 (Miller 0-4, Stahle 1-1, Levin 4-8, Durr 0-1), ELC 3-15 (Anderson 0-3, Stokes 2-7, Ruschy 1-5). Team fouls: Solon 16, ELC 11. Fouled out: Stahle. Rebounds: Solon 37 (Quillin 16), ELC 31 (Stokes 9). Assists: Solon 8 (Levin 5), ELC 5 (Yager 2). Steals: Solon 4 (Levin 2), ELC 7 (Stokes 5). Turnovers: Solon 10, ELC 6.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com