By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
With a 49-30 win over Abilene on Tuesday, the Southeast of Saline girls’ basketball team kept their undefeated season rolling and continued their dominance at home.
Southeast moves to 4-0 on the year while the Cowgirl's search for their first win of the season will continue at 0-4.
Out of the gates, the Lady Trojans played immaculate defense, holding Abilene to just five makes from the field in the first half to take a 21-13 lead into the intermission.
“We wanted to frustrate them with our defense early,” SES head coach Shauna Smith said. “We know that night in and night out the ball isn’t always going to go down for us but you can bring it defensively every single night. That’s what we live and die by and eventually, your offense comes with your defense.”
That defense was especially critical in slowing down Cowgirl standout Claira Dannefer, who was held without a bucket at the half and finished the night with just six points.
“I thought defensively we did a great job of keeping their post in check,” Smith said. “She didn’t score until the second half and we kept her off the offensive boards. They only got five offensive rebounds all night.”
The Lady Trojans were led by Reagan Goetz, who posted a new career high, leading all scorers with 18 points.
“Reagan got to the rim quite a bit,” she said. “She saw the openings, she took them and she shot the ball really well for us.”
Goetz was followed by Maddie Harris and Abigail Pearson who tacked on nine and seven respectively in a game that saw eight different Lady Trojans enter the scoring column.
Southeast also flexed their muscle in transition, forcing Abilene into 24 turnovers while coughing up the ball just eight times themselves.
“We’re averaging around 12 turnovers a game which is great,” Smith said. “That means we’re handling the ball well and on the other end we’re putting a lot of pressure on our opponents and forcing them to try to do the same.”
Next up, the Lady Trojans will turn their attention to a fourth-ranked Hillsboro team that should test SES on the road.
For continuing coverage of Southeast of Saline hoops all season long, stay tuned to the Salina Post, and follow us on Twitter @spostsports.