By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
The SES Lady Trojans start the Sterling Invitational off with a 57-42 win over the Hutch Trinity Lady Celtics.
The game was tied at ten apiece heading into the second quarter but Southeast was able to jump on Trinity in the second, holding an eight point lead at halftime.
The Celtics fought back and got within two, hitting a shot to make it 42-40, but seeing them in their rear view mirror SES slammed the gas and finished the game on a 14-0 run, taking a convincing 15-point victory.
"We made some shots and did a really good job of turning their turnovers into easy layups for us," SES head coach Shauna Smith said. "I thought we were okay defensively but we talked at halftime about turning those opportunities into points and in the second half we capitalized on that."
Southeast spread out their scoring effort with three girls in double digits, getting 13 from Alaina Yianakopulos, and 12 from both Karsyn Schlesener and Lexi Jacobson.
"Alaina stepped up and played really well for us tonight," she said. She had some big buckets that really opened up the game for us."
Only four players for the Celtics put points on the board, with Hayley Hughes leading the charge posting 18 points in a losing effort.
Turnovers also played a big role in tonight's SES win, as the Lady Trojans forced Trinity to cough the ball up 27 times.
As pool play has taken over the typical tournament format after Lyons withdrew from the invitational, the schedule remains the same for Southeast.
The Lady Trojans will face the top team in the tournament on Thursday when they take on 8-0 Sterling at Sterling High School.
Sterling beat Scott City soundly with a 66-36 victory on Monday, but if Southeast can pull off the upset they will face the top team from pool B in the tournament final on Friday.
Be sure to stay tuned to Salina Post for more coverage of both SES basketball teams throughout the Sterling Invitational.