By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
After bouncing back with a clean sweep of Smoky Valley on Tuesday the Southeast of Saline basketball teams will return to Gypsum for their home and league opener with Beloit.
The first leg of this year’s Trojan War will be the only game in the friendly confines for either Southeast team in the first four matchups of 2023.
Girls Game: SE of Saline (1-1) vs. Beloit (1-1)
The Lady Trojans took another step forward offensively in their win over Smoky Valley, dropping 46 points as a team and getting a strong performance out of senior Lexi Jacobson.
“We kept our turnovers down and were really able to control the game,” SES head coach Shauna Smith said. “I thought we did a better job of being patient on offense and it’s an adjustment for us in terms of style offensively but that patience got us some really good looks.”
Now, the Lady Trojans will turn their attention to a tough Beloit team eager to start this year’s NCAA slate off on the right foot.
“Beloit has a lot of height and athleticism that always causes us some trouble,” Smith said. “They’ll play 7 or 8 and they have more size to bring off the bench so we’ll have to adjust to their long arms.”
The girl’s game is set to get underway at 6:00 at Southeast of Saline High School.
Boys Game: #9 SE of Saline (1-1) vs. Beloit (2-0)
Against the Vikings, the boy’s team had an offensive revelation of their own, thanks to a 34-point performance from hot-shooting transfer Owen Bailey.
“I thought we were better in that game for sure,” SES head coach Bryson Flax said. “Defensively we made a few improvements and we continued to build. We weren’t great offensively, Owen really bailed us out a few times, but our guys did a nice job of keeping possessions alive and giving us extra opportunities.”
As several Trojans get healthy from another elongated football season, the team shifts their focus to a big league rival that smells blood in the water following Southeast’s big graduating class.
“I’m sure a lot of people wondered when Eli and Nakari would finally graduate and we feel the same way about Bryce Beisner,” Flax said. “He’s big and physical just like the rest of them and they rotate well inside. They also have one of the better shooters in the league we’ll have to find and we have to keep them off the offensive glass.”
Broadcast Information
- Location: Southeast of Saline High School
- Radio: KINA (910 AM/107.5 FM)
- Live Stream Video: Salina Post (Link Below)
- Pregame: 5:30 PM