No. 4 Solon Tips Off 2nd Half with Dominant Win

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>SOLON, Iowa - </strong>The Solon boys basketball team entered the holiday break as one of the hottest teams around. The Spartans retained that momentum coming out of the layoff. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Class 3A fourth-ranked Solon shook off a slow start in cruising to a 77-37 WaMaC victory against visiting Benton Friday night. The Spartans improved to 9-0 on the season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Benton led, 13-11, after one quarter of play. The Spartans settled in and outscored the visitors, 28-10, in the second and 19-10 in the third to take control of the game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1376687' first='Jake' last='Benzing'] led Solon with 19 points on 8 of 13 shooting from the floor. Your Prep Sports <a href="https://yourprepsports.com/2024/01/05/fourth-ranked-solon-keeps-rolling-stays-unbeaten-with-rout-of-benton-community/">wrote about the action</a>. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Benzing impressed me when I saw him a year ago. He definitely has advanced his game since then. He improved his dribbling with both hands and shows athleticism, on display with an impressive fast-break flush in this one. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Solon star's versatility stands out. He can bring the ball up the court or set up on the low block when he has an advantage. Benzing offers excellent form on his jumper and a pure stroke. He moves well laterally, which helps him defend on the perimeter. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Spartans relied on Benzing more last season. The players around him have lifted their games as well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2325516' first='Rylen' last='Stiegelmeyer'] does a nice job running the point. He changes speeds well and sees the floor keenly. He's a solid on-ball defender and can shoot it, as evidence by his 4 of 7 shooting from behind the arc in finishing with 16 points on this night. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2325525' first='Vince' last='Steinbrech'] provides the Spartans with another dynamic guard capable of getting to the rim off of the bounce. He finishes well and recognizes that when the defense collapses on him it's time to dish. He's a reliable defender and plays with physicality, which makes him an effective rebounder. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I like Gehrig Turner's game. He attacks the basket hard and has the strength to power through contact. He's particularly strong driving baseline. Austin Knight is a do-it-all, glue guy, and [player_tooltip player_id='2721815' first='Caleb' last='Bock'] provides excellent energy off of the bench. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Benton's Quincy Gilbert is a well-rounded, intelligent player with a good feel for the game. The Bobcats run through him, and he pulled down a game-high seven rebounds to go with his team-best 12 points in this contest. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wyatt Rinderknecht, Kolby Wenger and Owen Tjelmeland helped the Bobcats get off to a strong start. Benton played without leading scorer, Gavin Brooks. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->