Marion avenges a 28-point December loss to Solon, 48-45

MARION — Thirty-nine days had passed since a 28-point beating.

The Marion Wolves remembered.

“We took that loss personally,” Mila Van Weelden said. “We knew we could beat (Solon). We knew we were capable.

“We just had an extra sense of fire tonight.”

The Wolves remembered. And Tuesday night, they acted.

Van Weelden knocked home a go-ahead 3-pointer with 45 seconds to go, and Class 4A 10th-ranked Marion toppled the 3A No. 2 Spartans, 48-45, in a Wamac Conference East Division girls’ basketball game at Marion High School.

“There are wins ... but this one feels a little different,” Van Weelden said.

Van Weelden scored 16 points, and the Wolves (12-4 overall, 3-3 Wamac East) got a pivotal 13-point outing off the bench from freshman Harlow Griffin.

“It was just a matter of being strong inside, being physical,” Griffin said. “Sometimes we run away from the boards (on the offensive end) to get back. Tonight, we went after them and got some second-chance points.”

Griffin was at her best in the third quarter, when the Wolves scored 10 straight points to turn a seven-point deficit into a 34-31 lead.

The final frantic final 3 minutes featured four lead changes.

Callie Levin’s drive with 1:15 left put Solon (12-3, 3-2) in front, 45-43, then Van Weelden struck from the deep right wing.

“I felt a sense of confidence,” she said. “A 3-pointer needed to be made, so I just shot it.”

Madeline Pavelka converted two free throws with 0:08 left to push the Wolves’ edge to 48-45, then Levin back-ironed a 3-point try at the horn.

A University of Iowa recruit, Levin scored 28 points, including all 19 of the Spartans’ second-half points.

“We’ve got to figure some things out,” Solon Coach Jamie Smith said. “We’ve got some players lacking confidence on offense.”

Solon was 4-of-8 from long range in the first quarter, 1-of-18 the rest of the way.

“We kept preaching, ‘Hang in there,’” Marion Coach Henry Martinson said. “They seem to struggle when games get tight at the end.”

The Spartans destroyed the Wolves, 60-32, Dec. 15.

“That was in our heads,” Martinson said. “And the CPU (loss last week) really rubbed us wrong.

“We were ready for this one. For three days, we did physical-contact drills to get ready, and tonight, we just executed it.”

Pavelka registered eight points and seven rebounds for the Wolves. Natalie McAllister had six points and 11 boards.

Anna Quillin snagged 14 rebounds for the Spartans.

Recommended Reading

Photos: Solon at Marion girls’ basketball

Marion 48, Solon 45

At Marion

SOLON (45): Kobi Lietz 2-10 0-0 5, Hailey Miller 3-10 0-0 7, Mia Stahle 2-12 0-0 5, Anna Quillin 0-3 0-0 0, Callie Levin 10-17 6-8 28, Delainey Durr 0-4 0-0 0, Laeni Hinkle 0-0 0-0 0, Maddyn Gates 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-56 6-8 45.

MARION (48): Mallory Heinricy 0-4 2-2 2, Natalie McAllister 3-5 0-2 6, Jenna Heinricy 1-5 1-2 3, Mila Van Weelden 6-11 1-1 16, Madeline Pavelka 3-11 2-2 8, Grace Whalen 0-1 0-0 0, Harlow Griffin 4-10 5-6 13. Totals 17-47 11-15 48.

Solon 16 10 5 14 — 45

Marion 16 6 12 14 — 48

3-point goals: Solon 5-26 (Lietz 1-7, Miller 1-2, Stahle 1-8, Levin 2-6, Durr 0-3), Marion 3-14 (M. Heinricy 0-4, McAllister 0-2, J. Heinricy 0-1, Van Weelden 3-6, Pavelka 0-1). Total fouls: Solon 17, Marion 14. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: Solon 30 (Quillin 14), Marion 40 (McAllister 11). Assists: Solon 6 (Levin 3), Marion 7 (M. Heinricy, Pavelka 2). Steals: Solon 8 (Stahle 3), Marion 3 (three with 1). Turnovers: Solon 7, Marion 12.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com