By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
With three weeks to go in the regular season, the Salina Central boys basketball team will have several opportunities to build a strong resume heading into the sub-state tournament.
The Mustangs enter the home stretch at 6-8 overall after kicking off the first week of February with a big home win over cross-town rival Salina South.
Central has made big strides throughout the season as their incoming class of transfers has become acquainted with their new team and system.
“We’ve had consistent improvement across the board,” Mustang head coach Ryan Modin said. “The biggest thing for us has been increasing our scoring over the last 7 games. We’ve had more guys step and score and that will be so important as the season goes on.”
While Central’s offense has looked good all season, the defensive effort will need to continue to improve, as the Mustangs have surrendered 53 points per game on average.
“Our defense and rebounding need to be better night in and night out,” Modin said. “We don’t have much height, so it’s crucial that we are physical and fundamental in those two areas”
While there were some question marks about the Mustangs coming into the season, many players have lived up to or exceeded expectations, and Central has been a much deeper team as a result.
“It’s been nice to see guys step and contribute where we needed them to,” he said. “Nolan Puckett has taken his game to a new level, getting better at every aspect of his game. Ethan Waters and Sid Duplessis are two new guys who have transitioned well to our program and Dezmyn Gibson really came on in the SIT and I look for him to give us big minutes going forward.”
Central will face a few more big matchups in the team’s final six games of the regular season, including rematches with #6 Andover and 11-4 Valley Center.
“Playing with high energy and consistency night and night out will be huge for us down the stretch,” Modin said. “We play the best teams in 5A and we can’t afford to have off nights.”
Regardless of whether the Mustangs cap of their first winning season in three years or not, Central has proven themselves to be a tough beat on any given night and could present problems come playoff time.
“We’ve shown that we can play a high level with anyone, so we feel like we’re right there and have a chance to be a tough matchup when the postseason gets here,” he said.
The Mustangs will be back in action on Tuesday night when they host the 4-10 Eisenhower Tigers.
For more on both Central basketball teams in 2022 stay tuned to the Salina Post.