By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
The Salina Central girls basketball team has shattered expectations all season long.
The Lady Mustangs entered the sub-state tournament ranked #1 in Class 5A, and were seen as strong contenders to challenge for a state title after returning an incredible senior class from last year’s run.
Then Central got to work, dismantling Newton 60-23, and #9 Hays 63-33 to enter the state tournament at a perfect 22-0.
The Lady Stang's reign of terror continued as they waltzed past De Soto 69-34 and shocked #5 Lansing with a 68-37 blowout that looked far easier than anyone expected.
Salina Central has won every single one of their 24 games this season by double-digits, and has outscored that same field by more than 700 points.
Tonight however, they will face something unlike anything the Mustangs have seen this season in #2 St. Thomas Aquinas.
“I don’t think there’s any question by any metric that these are the two best teams in Class 5A playing for the state title today,” Lady Mustang head coach Chris Fear said.
The Saints have been on a mammoth run of their own, bulldozing KC-Turner 71-17 and handling St. James Academy 60-51 at sub-state before convincing back-to-back wins over Spring Hill and former #1 Andover Central to reach the final.
The Saints are led by 6-3 Oklahoma commit Beatrice Cullington, who averages an easy double-double amidst a stacked roster brimming with the size to give opponents fits, and the talent to back it up.
“Cullington is unique as a strong, 6-3 big but she plays really hard,” Fear said. “She runs the floor and she’s going to be an excellent Division-I player. Their size makes them unique, and there are a lot of college teams that aren’t as big as St. Thomas Aquinas.”
Unlike their 24 previous opponents, the Saints should give Salina Central all they can handle in this state championship game, and are considered by many to be the favorites going into Saturday’s final.
“We’re going to have to do some things that we haven’t done this year,” he said. “They absolutely want to pound it inside and they’re willing to pass up wide-open threes to do that. We have to make it difficult for them to get it in the post and we have to challenge but not foul in the paint because we need our players on the other end to play offense.”
Central will have to settle into a more methodical offense after overwhelming opponents with their size and speed for the better part of five months.
“I don’t know that we’re going to make ton of offensive adjustments but it might take more patience to avoid them having a block party,” Fear said. “I do think we have a quickness advantage that will give us an edge if we can stay patient and look for the open shots.”
If the Mustangs can pull off one final win, they can return to Salina with the first state title and first undefeated season in program history, a storybook ending for one of the most talented groups of seniors to ever walk the halls of Salina Central.
“To bring this title home would be incredibly significant,” Fear said. “We’re not just happy to be here and we want to win this game but what these girls have done in the last two years has been really special. They’re going to be remembered for a long time and if we can finish it with a state title there would be nothing better than that.”
Tip-off between the Lady Mustangs and Saints is scheduled for 6:15 PM at Emporia State.
For continuing coverage of Salina Central’s state-run stay tuned to the Salina Post.