By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
For the first time since 2014, the Southeast of Saline boys basketball team handed the Sacred Heart Knights a loss on the hardwood, winning a battle of #10 teams 60-39.
It was apparent that SES came to play early as the team opened on a run and took a commanding 36-13 lead into the half of a wire-to-wire victory.
“They were amped up and ready to go and that didn’t necessarily come from me,” Trojan head coach Bryson Flax said. “We have guys stepping into leadership roles and those conversations are being had before I even step into the locker room.”
SES was led tonight by a dominant all-around performance from Nakari Morrical-Palmer, who was on the cusp of a triple-double with points, rebounds and blocks.
“Nakari was unbelievable tonight," Flax said." He got after it on the glass and he altered or blocked a ton of shots. He has the capability to take over a game without even scoring and he showed that off this evening.”
Nakari’s effort was the tip of the iceberg in a stifling defensive effort for the Trojans. Southeast allowed just one double-digit scorer, and held the usually dominant Alex Disberger to just nine points.
“We were good defensively tonight,” he said. “When you watch as much film as we do you can find little tendencies and I thought we did a good job of putting them in some uncomfortable positions.”
Offensively there were stretches of the game in which SES couldn’t miss, at one point taking a 47-16 lead with five minutes to go in the third quarter.
“We know what spots we’re good from and I thought we did a good job of finding those spots tonight,” he said.
This game wraps up a gauntlet of six 2021 matchups that saw the Trojans emerge at 4-2 with two wins over ranked opponents, and two losses at the hands of #1 teams in their respective classes.
“This certainly gives us some positive momentum heading into the break,” Flax said. “I was really happy with our first semester and how we competed in our first six games and I can’t say enough about my guys. They’ve been phenomenal.”
The Trojans will be back in action on January 7th when they travel to Minneapolis to take on the Lions while the 5-1 Knights will return on the 11th to host Republic County.
For more on both teams in 2022 stay tuned to the Salina Post.