By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
After knocking off Council Grove in the 3A sub-state quarterfinals, the Southeast of Saline boys’ basketball team will return to Gypsum for their biggest test yet, as the Trojans look to unseat the defending state-champion Hesston Swathers.
Despite playing in their home gym, the 4-seeded Trojans (12-9) will be the road team in this matchup, playing host to the top seed in Hesston (18-3) who throttled Smoky Valley 66-37 in their quarterfinal.
This will be the second meeting between the two sides as the Swathers defeated Southeast 49-32 in the season opener back in December, but a lot has changed for both teams since that early winter battle.
“I don’t know that it made a 17-point difference the first night but we were without Connor Caselman and we had a few guys four practices into the season because of football season,” SES head coach Bryson Flax said. “I think we’re far different than we were in that first meeting but Hesston has gotten a lot better as well.”
That matchup was just the first in a gauntlet for Southeast of Saline that saw the Trojans tangle with state-ranked foes in nine different matchups this year, and helped set the tone for future games like this one.
“There’s a real rivalry with Hesston and I think the best thing our boy’s basketball program has done has been to start the season with them,” Flax said. “You know what you’re going to get with them, they scrap, they’re physical, and it’s a really good early-season test to see where you’re at as a team.”
While the Swathers can explode offensively, showcased in five 60+ point performances this season, where Hesston really shines is on the defensive end, where they have held 16 of their 21 opponents to under 40 points on the year.
“They make it really difficult for you to get shots and they’re okay with grinding out a game in the 40s if that’s what it takes,” he said. “Offensively they earn extra opportunities on the glass and they don’t shoot a lot of threes but the Reed Freisen kid is a lot better than a lot of people realize, he’s efficient and he’s a difficult guy to guard.”
In order to slay this goliath, Southeast will need to be locked in offensively, and be willing to do the dirty work on the glass to deny the Swathers extra possessions on both ends of the floor.
“We can’t turn the ball over in a game like this and we have to be good on the glass,” Flax said. “Offensively we have to find ways to take and make good shots and those are hard to come by but with a little patience offensively I think we can get the shots we want.”
Tip-off between the Swathers and Trojans is set for 7:00 at Southeast of Saline High School. As always the game can be heard on KINA or streamed with live audio and video on the Salina Post.