By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
The Southeast of Saline girls’ basketball program brought home a Sterling Invitational Tournament title on Friday, defeating Hugoton 43-21 in the championship game.
A first-place finish at Sterling is one of the few feats that had eluded the Lady Trojans for years, but no longer.
Southeast dominated all week long, defeating Hutch Trinity 79-28 on Tuesday, and Scott City 45-23 on Thursday, before sealing the deal against Hugoton on Friday night.
In that three-game stretch, the Lady Trojans outscored their opponents by 95 points, winning by over 30 on average throughout the tournament
Kyiah Samuelson and Aba Pearson were named to the All-Tournament team, with Pearson also being selected as the tournament’s Most Inspirational Player.
On Tuesday, three different Lady Trojans notched double digits, with Kyiah Samuelson (17), Vada Durfee (14), and Taryn Goetz (14) leading Southeast to a rout of Hutch Trinity.
Samuelson was excellent again on Thursday, dropping 12 points alongside a 13-point night from Aba Pearson as the Lady Trojans forced 17 Scott City turnovers and allowed just four Lady Beavers to score.
While both of those wins were impressive, SES saved their best for last, and on Friday night it quickly became apparent that Hugoton never stood a chance.
Southeast held the Lady Eagles, a team that entered the night 8-5, to just seven total points in the first half, and 21 for the entire night.
Seven different Lady Trojans scored in a win that also saw the Southeast defense generate 21 turnovers, one to match each Hugoton point in a championship game.
Samuelson continued her stellar play, leading Southeast with 12 points, this time aided by her sophomore partner in crime Reese Heinrich (10).
At long last, the tournament title that always felt just out of reach now belongs to the Lady Trojans, who will need this momentum as they enter the home stretch of their season.
Southeast of Saline resumes regular-season play on Tuesday, January 27 when they travel to Belleville for a rematch with Republic County.
You can watch Southeast of Saline’s victory on demand below.