On Friday morning, the No. 4 Solon Springs boy’s basketball team couldn’t hang on to their late lead and fell to No. 1 Columbus Catholic 78-65 in the Division 5 state semifinals at Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. This marked the first state tournament in program history for Solon Springs.

After maintaining a lead through the first half against the number one seed and finishing the half up 36-32, the Eagles would struggle to defend the three point outburst they’d face, as the Dons shot 13-26 from behind the arc, an incredible 50%.

The Dons finished the game on a 24-7 run to secure the victory.

For the Eagles, Dylan Taggart led the team in scoring with 22 points, going 5-12 from three. Isaiah Kastern and Owen Smith were the only other Eagles in double figures, with 19 and 12 points respectively.

“I can’t be more proud of the effort our guys put in. The physicality we were able to play with, these two guys [Taggart, Kastern] leading us as they’ve done all year. I’m just extremely proud of my team,” head coach Marcus Besonen said.

The Eagles finish their season with a 27-3 record.

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