By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
As the regular season winds to a close, the Southeast of Saline boy’s basketball team prepares for one more major test against undefeated Ellinwood on their home floor.
The Trojans come into this contest on a six-game winning streak with an overall record of 16-1 while the Eagles enter at a flawless 17-0.
While this game could have ramifications for end-of-season rankings, Southeast’s focus remains on making the most of an opportunity to see another top-notch team before the postseason in two-weeks time.
“I told the guys that this is a game against a quality opponent but it doesn’t mean anything,” SES head coach Bryson Flax said. “This is a 2A team that we’re not going to see again, what matters is that we’ll see opponents like this moving forward and we have to be able to adapt on the fly and be extremely sound defensively to give ourselves a chance.”
As it always does, this matchup with Ellinwood will revolve around all-state senior Brit Dutton, who averages an absurd 25.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.9 assists on any given night.
“He’s an elite shooter, an elite creator and he’s very difficult to guard,” Flax said. “We had to tell the guys not to get discouraged when he hits three in a row on us, but we want to make sure that those looks are contested.”
Slowing Dutton down from the field is a tall task, but it is made all the more difficult by how often the senior standout gets to the charity stripe, something Southeast needs to avoid at all costs.
“We can’t give him a lot of easy, uncontested shots but we also can’t bail him out,” he said. “In his sophomore year, he shot 15 free-throws at our place and last year he battled foul trouble and still got 25. We have to make it difficult for him and we can’t get beat by anyone else.”
Beyond Dutton, this year’s Eagles are as dangerous as ever, with a strong rotation of role players slotting in around their star.
“Parker Scheck is probably the next best option for them,” Flax said. “He mostly plays around the rim but he’s active on the glass and he benefits from Brit garnering a lot of attention. They also have a few guys on the outside that can knock down rhythm jumpers if you overhelp, we have to be good on those guys.”
Tip-off between the Trojans and Eagles is set for 7:30 at Southeast of Saline High School, following the girls’ game at 6:00.
Both games can be heard on KINA (910 AM or 107.5 FM) or streamed with live audio and video on the Salina Post.