Jan 26, 2022

Lady Trojans blank Buffs in second half of 63-12 blowout

Posted Jan 26, 2022 3:37 AM

By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor

This SES game recap is presented by Salina Ortho: Quality orthopedic care when you need it!
This SES game recap is presented by Salina Ortho: Quality orthopedic care when you need it!

The #8 Southeast of Saline girls basketball team decimated the Republic County Buffaloes on Tuesday night, cruising to a 62-12 victory to remain unbeaten in league play.

The Lady Trojans turned Republic County over a staggering 24 times and in a display of sheer dominance, didn’t allow the Buffs to score a single point in the second half.

“I thought we did a good job of keeping our hands high and closing out on them tonight,” SES head coach Shauna Smith said. “We really didn’t allow many offensive rebounds either.”

The Trojans spread the wealth evenly once again with 11 different players in the scoring column.

Leading the way were Maddie Harris and Brielle Ptacek who each cashed in double-digit performances, doing a majority of their damage in the first half.

While much of the Trojan’s production comes in the form of drives to the basket, Ptacek has leaned into the art of the mid-range game as the year has gone on.

“I like her little jump shot,” Smith said. “She’s gotten a lot more comfortable with it and we know we don’t always have to drive to the basket.”

Tonight also saw the triumphant return of Lexi Jacobson, who missed several games before returning to the varsity floor tonight.

“We didn’t feel like Lexi missed a beat,” she said. "She’s been happy to do whatever she needs to do to get back on the floor.”

With the game more or less decided by halftime, SES had an opportunity to get some of their younger players into the game, and despite the inexperience, the defensive intensity never fell.

“I think our younger girls are learning how fun it is to play in these varsity games,” Smith said. “We had a big crowd on hand tonight and it’s always fun to get into the varsity books.”

With this win, the Lady Trojans advance to 9-3 and 4-0 in league play while Republic County falls to 0-12.

Southeast will be back in action on Friday when the Lady Trojans head to Ellsworth for a date with the 5-7 Bearcats.