By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
To close out the December portions of their season, the Southeast of Saline and Sacred Heart boys’ basketball teams will meet in Salina for one of the most anticipated rivalry matchups of the year on Monday night.
Each squad will enter this contest riding high, as the 5-0 Trojans knocked off their third, ranked opponent of the season in Hillsboro on Thursday, while the 4-1 Knights bounced Berean Academy on Friday.
For a Southeast team currently ranked #1 in Class 3A, this game represents not only an opportunity to hold onto that spot going into the new year but also a chance to get a leg up on one of their fiercest league rivals.
“Obviously this is a fun rivalry and it’s cool to be the only teams in the county playing on a Monday, that’ll add some juice,” SES head coach Bryson Flax said. “Things haven’t been any different with in preparation. We’re going to continue to prepare the same way every single game and our guys are excited to play in that atmosphere.”
For Sacred Heart, this game will serve as another big measuring stick to see where the team truly is ahead of the holiday break.
“Rivalries are part of high school sports and that’s great but the bigger picture is that we have to see how we perform against a really good basketball team,” Knights head coach Brian Gormley said. “This is another step in the process and it’s a great one to have going into the break because we can see where we stack up and continue to get better when we come back.”
Many of Sacred Heart’s preseason questions revolved around the graduation of senior standout Alex Disberger, who was a rebounding machine for his entire career.
If Disberger’s absence was supposed to bother the Knights, it hasn’t shown on the floor, as Sacred Heart wasted no time getting right back to their winning ways to start the season.
“Our ability to compete on the glass has been good to see,” Gormley said. “We return a lot of experience but our ability to fill that gap in after what we lost has been impressive this year.”
That tenacious effort on the glass has been recognized by Southeast of Saline as well, and the Trojans will be preparing for a real battle on the boards despite holding a size advantage on Monday.
“When you look at their roster this is a team that should be dominated on the glass but they haven’t been,” Flax said, “That’s really a testament to Brian Gormley and the way he gets those guys prepared to overcome something that should have been a low point on their team.”
In order to keep control of a rivalry that had been long dominated by Sacred Heart, the Trojans will need to find an answer for the stellar play of Michael Matteucci, who has averaged 17 points per game while shooting nearly 60% from the floor and 40% from deep.
“They shoot the ball really well,” Flax said. “Matteucci is playing as well as he’s ever played and if you let the Ehrlich kid stand around he’s going to make shots. They can all step out and shoot the basketball and we’re going to have to be prepared to guard.”
On the other side of the matchup, the Knights will have to overcome Southeast’s depth, something that has been a major swing factor in their five wins so far.
“You’ve got nine guys coming at you with this team,” Gormley said. “Transition defense and defensive rebounding will be big keys for us. If we’re fortunate enough to get them to miss shots we have to limit them to single possessions and we can’t let them get out in transition.”
Tip-off between the Knights and Trojans is scheduled for 7:30 pm at Sacred Heart High School following the girl’s game at 6.
Both games can be heard on KINA (910 AM or 107.5 FM) or streamed on the Salina Post with live audio and video.