No. 1 Mount Vernon dominated Solon so thoroughly in the first half Tuesday, Dec. 17, it surprised even the players.
“It kind of shocked all of us when we came out, 20-0,” Mount Vernon senior Chloe Meester said. “We didn’t think we’d be that far apart from them.”
After all, Solon had a nine-game win streak in the Hwy. 1 rivalry until last season, when the Hwy. 1 rivals split a pair of games as highly-ranked teams that both eventually qualified for the state tournament.
But this was total domination.
“Even if someone wanted to script it to make it worse, I don’t think you could,” Solon coach Jamie Smith said. “They just beat us all over … everywhere. I can’t even explain it.
“It’s been a while since our program has been in that situation.”
Mount Vernon opened the game with a 20-0 run. The domination continued until about the midpoint of the second quarter, when the Mustangs led 32-2.
Smith called four timeouts to try and reverse the momentum.
“You look at the scoreboard and you are up by 20 six minutes into the game, and it certainly hasn’t been that way the last three years,” Mount Vernon coach Nate Sanderson said. “We were fortunate to play well from the start tonight.”
Meester and Taylor Franck each had 10 points during that 32-2 start. Freshman guard Savanna Wright had two steals she turned into layups. Senior Sydney Huber added a 3-pointer and a 2-pointer in the run, and top reserve Eryn Jackson added a 3.
“It felt really good at the beginning, then you kind of knew it was yours the rest of the way,” Meester said.
Solon shot 14.3 percent (3 for 21) in the first half and had 12 turnovers.
“They just stayed on top of us and we couldn’t breathe offensively, couldn’t breathe defensively,” Smith said. “So credit to them. Their experience showed through.”
Meester finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season. Taylor Franck had 14 points and Wright finished with 13 points. Huber had nine points.
Mount Vernon (6-1) played at No. 11 West Delaware on Friday, Dec. 20, and took a special trip Saturday, Nov. 21, to Bolingbrook, Ill.
The Mustangs handled the Hawks, 70-46, getting off to another hot start with a 22-3 surge to start and won the first quarter 26-7.
“The Hawks eventually found their footing,” Sanderson said. “But by then the game was out of reach.”
Meester had 22 points and eight rebounds and Huber had 21 points and eight rebounds. Wright added 12 points. Mount Vernon had 19 assists and just six turnovers.
Their game in Chicago was a bit tighter, but Mount Vernon (8-1) came out on top, 47-43.
Taylor Franck led the scoring with 16 points. Wright had 10 and Meester had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
The Raiders led early, 10-2, before the Mustangs switched to their 2-3 zone. “Which stymied Bolingbrook’s preferred dribble-drive attack,” Sanderson said.
Mount Vernon (8-1) will open the January schedule against No. 3 (2A) Regina (8-0) on Saturday, Jan. 4, in Mount Vernon.
MOUNT VERNON 62, SOLON 30
Solon (30) – Kobi Lietz 1-12 0-0 2, Delaney Durr 1-7 1-2 3, Laney Johnson 4-9 0-0 12, Laeni Hinkle 1-1 0-0 3, Beckett Kruse 1-10 1-2 3, Jerzey Haluska 1-4 1-2 3, Quinn Armentrout 0-4 0-0 0, Jillian Janssen 0-0 1-2 1, Kalynn Timmons 1-1 0-0 3, Sophia Link 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 9-47 4-8 30.
Mount Vernon (62) – Savanna Wright 6-10 0-0 13, Taylor Franck 5-10 3-4 14, Chloe Meester 8-12 2-2 18, Courtney Franck 1-5 0-0 3, Sydney Huber 4-8 0-0 9, Eryn Jackson 1-5 0-0 3, Rylee Rasmussen 0-0 0-0 0, Quinn Pershing 0-0 0-0 0, Sophia Meester 0-0 0-0 0, Lucy Wischmeyer 0-0 0-0 0, Alivia Truitt 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 25-50 7-8 62.
Solon 2 6 14 8 – 30
Mount Vernon 22 10 15 15 – 62
3-point goals – Solon 6-30 (Lietz 0-5, Durr 0-4, Johnson 4-9, Hinkle 1-1, Kruse 0-7, Haluska 0-2, Armentrout 0-1, Timmons 1-1), MV 5-11 (Wright 1-2, T.Franck 1-2, C.Franck 1-1, Huber 1-1, Jackson 1-5). Rebounds – Solon 30 (Kruse 11), MV 39 (Meester 12). Turnovers – Solon 16, MV 12. Fouls – Solon 14, MV 8.