By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
The Southeast of Saline Trojans boys basketball team will be looking to get back to .500 today with a win over the 1-1 Abilene Cowboys.
The Cowboys will present a tall task for the Trojans (quite literally) coming into tonight's game a week removed from their last: a 56-53 win over Augusta.
Abilene comes loaded with height, experience and scoring ability, with four seniors and four of their five starters checking in between 6-2 and 6-8.
More than likely, the Cowboys lineup will feature Blaise McVan, Avery Bryson, Josh Stuber, Kaleb Becker and 6-8 Grant Heintz.
“We’re going to have to guard one through five,” Trojan head coach Bryson Flax said. “They’re not as deep as they want to be but they have good role players off the bench. From top to bottom Abilene is very talented and they can get to you from a lot of different angles.”
Southeast enters this game fresh off a tough two-point loss to their biggest rival in Sacred Heart on Saturday.
“We struggled to execute the little things throughout that game,” he said. “I know it looks like it came down to one play but there were so many things throughout that game that we could have done better.”
So far the Trojans have been led by Jaxson Montgomery and Eli Sawyers, who have averaged 12.7 and 11 points respectively.
While SES looks for more shooters, they are also still on the lookout for the right combination on the floor.
“I think our chemistry is improving every day,” Flax said. “We’re still looking for a set of guys that mesh really well. That’s always a bit of a puzzle at the beginning of the season but I feel like we’re getting close to figuring it out.”
For Coach Flax, tonight's game against Abilene will come down to how many shots the Trojans allow the Cowboys to take, and how well they can limit second chance opportunities.
“Because of their athleticism and their length we’ve really got to rebound, we have to limit them to one shot per possession if we can.”
Despite the cancellation of the girls game, tonight's boys game will still be on for a 7:30 tip off at SES.
As always, Trojan basketball can be heard on KINA (910 AM/107.5 FM) or streamed on Salina Post.