Solon Pulls Away Late, Advances to Substate Final

<p>SOLON -- It wasn’t always pretty, but Solon completed the three-game season sweep of Maquoketa on Thursday night, pulling away from the Cardinals late en route to a 63-50 win, sending the Spartans into Monday night’s substate final. They’ll face undefeated Monticello for a chance to advance to the state tournament.</p> <p>Both teams got off to a slow start, with Solon leading just 9-8 after the first quarter. The conference rivals are very familiar with each other, and nothing came easy, especially early on. Maquoketa took a 20-17 lead with a little over two minutes left before halftime, but Solon closed the half on a 7-0 run to take a 24-20 lead into the break.</p> <p>Maquoketa opened the second half with an 11-3 run to take a 31-27 lead with 5:00 left in the third quarter. After a Solon bucket, the next trip down the floor, Maquoketa senior guard Brady Digmann tumbled to the floor with an apparent knee injury. Solon went on a 10-0 run to nab a 37-31 lead, sparked by senior [player_tooltip player_id="964913" first="Ben" last="Cusick"], who had 9 points in the third quarter alone. The Spartans kept Maquoketa at arm’s length for the first part of the fourth quarter before the Cardinals trimmed the lead down to 3, 48-45. A quick 6-0 run from Solon pushed the lead back out to 9, and a slew of turnovers and layups allowed them to push the lead to double-digits and comfortably win a game that was much closer than the final score indicated.</p> <p>Big second halves have been a theme in all three of Solon's wins over the Cardinals this year. On January 12, the Spartans trailed 34-24 at the break, then outscored them 33-16 in the second half. On February 5, the Spartans trailed 42-38 at the half, then outscored the Cards 48-29. In this one, the Spartans actually held a lead at the break, then used a big second half to extend it.</p> <p>Solon (21-2) was led by [player_tooltip player_id="964917" first="Carson" last="Shive"], who had 19 points. [player_tooltip player_id="964913" first="Ben" last="Cusick"] added 15 for the Spartans who held Maquoketa to under 33% shooting.</p> <p>Maquoketa’s season ends with an 8-14 record. The Cardinals were led by [player_tooltip player_id="796184" first="Caiden" last="Atienza"], who had a huge game in his final game as a Cardinal, finishing with 16 points, 12 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 2 assists. Brady Digmann had 9 points before his injury sidelined him.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 63px;"> <tbody> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center; height: 21px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Team</strong></span></td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center; height: 21px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>1Q</strong></span></td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center; height: 21px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>2Q</strong></span></td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center; height: 21px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>3Q</strong></span></td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center; height: 21px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>4Q</strong></span></td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center; height: 21px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>F</strong></span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center; height: 21px;"><strong>Maquoketa</strong></td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center; height: 21px;">8</td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center; height: 21px;">12</td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center; height: 21px;">13</td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center; height: 21px;">17</td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center; height: 21px;">50</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center; height: 21px;"><strong>Solon</strong></td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center; height: 21px;">9</td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center; height: 21px;">15</td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center; height: 21px;">16</td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center; height: 21px;">23</td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center; height: 21px;">63</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Maquoketa:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="796184" first="Caiden" last="Atienza"] 16, Brady Digmann 9, [player_tooltip player_id="796137" first="Connor" last="Becker"] 6, Kasey Coakley 6, Ethan Combs 5, Tye Hardin 4, Max Keller 4<br /> <strong>Solon:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="964917" first="Carson" last="Shive"] 19, [player_tooltip player_id="964913" first="Ben" last="Cusick"] 15, [player_tooltip player_id="796195" first="David" last="Bluder"] 8, Will Noonan 6, Kinnick Pusteoska 5, Drew Turner 3, Jacob Timmons 3, Bo Janssen 2, Jake Quillin 2</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="796184" first="Caiden" last="Atienza"], Maquoketa (2021)</strong></p> <p>Atienza was the best player on the floor on Thursday night, putting up a huge stat line and showing his ability to run the floor, protect the rim, rebound at a high level, and even showed a nice-looking jumper out to about 15 feet. A mobile big with a great frame and broad shoulders, he's got good touch around the rim, is a willing passer, and is a switchable defender.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Brady Digmann, Maquoketa (2021)</strong></p> <p>Digmann was putting together a pretty solid game for the Cardinals before going down with his injury. The senior lefty guard has a smooth stroke from 3 and is a tough guard who finishes well through contact. He seemed to be a bit of an emotional leader for this group as well, as they really struggled after his injury.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="964917" first="Carson" last="Shive"], Solon (2021)</strong></p> <p>Shive has a bit of a hitch in his jumper, but he knocked down 3 of his 4 3-point attempts, providing a big spark for the Spartans. A tough, physical guard, he's good finishing around the rim and does a good job playing the passing lanes on the defensive end. He finished with a game-high 19 points on 7-12 shooting with 4 rebounds and 3 steals.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="964913" first="Ben" last="Cusick"], Solon (2021)</strong></p> <p>Cusick, a 6-3 guard, was excellent in the second-half, looking to get to the bucket and he also knocked down a crucial 3 during their 10-0 run that really got the gym going. He contributes in a big way on the glass, using his physicality to bully smaller defenders on the boards. He finished with 15 points on 4-8 shooting (1-1 3P, 6-8 FT) and 7 rebounds.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="796195" first="David" last="Bluder"], Solon (2021)</strong></p> <p>Bluder leads the Spartans in scoring, but had a fairly quiet game on Thursday. The 6-4 wing has good length and handles the ball fairly well. He's established himself as a really good catch-and-shoot option but he looked to attack hard closeouts and get to the rim multiple times in the second half. He finished with 8 points.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Ethan Combs, Maquoketa (2022)</strong></p> <p>Combs is a player that I've very interested to see next year after a summer of development. A raw, 6-6 big man, he's mobile and runs the floor, and is very aggressive, looking to shoot it basically every time he got a post touch. His offensive skill set is very much a work in progress, but I love the aggressiveness he showed offensively and on the glass. He finished with 5 points and 8 rebounds.</p>