By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
The Sacred Heart Knights and Lady Knights will begin sub-state play this week, with games on Monday and Tuesday night.
The boys team enters the tournament as the two-seed in their bracket, with an overall record of 14-3 and riding a 12 game winning streak into sub-state.
The Knights will host the seven-seeded Bennington on Monday night at 7pm. The Bulldogs enter the tournament at 6-12, having lost five of their last six.
Bennington is led by freshman Eli Lawson, who averages 12.8 points per game, and a young core consisting of two juniors in Cayden Bauer and Ryker Greene, and two other freshmen in Talan Pickering and Mason Nemechek.
The winner of this contest will advance to face whoever emerges from the 3-6 game featuring 13-7 Hutch Trinity and 10-10 Inman.
If the Knights can pick up a victory they will host their second round game regardless of who comes out of that side of the bracket.
Next up, the Sacred Heart girls team will play their first sub-state game against 9-11 Hutch Trinity.
The Lady Knights enter the tournament as the three seed with an overall record of 10-7 and will host the six-seeded Lady Celtics at 7pm on Tuesday.
Hutch Trinity may have finished their season under .500 but they have become much more dangerous down the back stretch of the season, winning seven of their last eight games.
The game that began this run for the Lady Celtics was a 47-39 win over Sacred Heart back on January 29th, so it will be up to the Lady Knights to avenge that loss on their home floor.
The winner of this contest will advance to meet the victor of the 2-7 matchup featuring 14-5 Moundridge and 7-12 Inman.
Should Sacred Heart move on, they would travel to Moundridge or host Inman in round two on Friday.
Stay tuned to the Salina Post for continuing coverage of the Knights and Lady Knights throughout the sub-state tournament.