By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
As the December portion of their season winds to a close, the Salina South boys basketball team will look to pick up their first victory, and some positive momentum in one final 2022 matchup.
On Tuesday night, the Cougars will play host to the 2-3 Maize Eagles, who much like Salina South, are still finding their footing after graduating the majority of their minutes from a season ago.
Despite the slow start, South continues to peer within and focus on steady improvement, looking to put the hard lessons they’ve already learned into practice for one final pre-Christmas challenge.
“We’ve watched a lot of film on ourselves and know that there are a lot of things we need to improve,” Cougar head coach Jason Hooper said. “We need to do a better job controlling the tempo and taking better shots on offense. On the defensive end, we need to continue to not take plays off and finish possessions with defensive rebounds.”
While this South team does come in at 0-5, it’s important to remember that this is a team still getting to grips with the speed of the varsity floor after accruing heavy losses over the offseason.
“I think we are settling in on offense with what we want to do, now we just need to get better at it,” Hooper said. “Things are still happening really fast for our kids and the more we get comfortable, the more the game will slow down.”
While every game on the calendar is big, this one could prove to be a turning point for better or for worse, as Salina South will head into the winter break either riding the high of their first win, or limping at 0-6.
"This is a big game for us,” he said. “We match up with Maize pretty well and would love to snatch some momentum heading into the break. It would be a great boost for our kids to see some reward for their hard work and resilience. They have kept a positive attitude and know it’s just a matter of time before it all begins to click for them.”
In order to take that next step, the Cougars will have to overcome an opponent that mirrors them in many ways, and who, at 2-3, will also be in search of a big win to cap off their semester.
“Maize is a team that is in rebuild mode like us,” he said. “They are very athletic, but still trying to find their identity. We are very similar teams and the one that executes better will have a great chance to win.”
While the opponent taking the floor is a new one, Salina South’s approach remains the same, and the focus will stay within as the Cougars look to find themselves on the floor.
“Our keys to victory remain the same,” Hooper said. “We need to defend and limit them to one shot per possession, we also need to continue to mature offensively and have great possessions in the half-court.”
Tip-off between the Cougars and Eagles is set for 7:30 pm following the girl’s game at 6:00.
For continuing coverage of Cougar hoops all season long, stay tuned to the Salina Post and follow us on Twitter @spostsports.