By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
Fresh off a pair of blowout victories on Thursday over Republic County, the Southeast of Saline basketball teams will look to finish their weeks out strong as they return to Gypsum to host Minneapolis.
Girls Game: SE of Saline (11-5, 5-2) vs. Minneapolis (12-4, 5-2)
On the girl’s side, sole possession of second place in the NCAA will be on the line tonight, as both teams enter with positive momentum.’
The last time these two squared off back in early January, the Lady Trojans squeaked out a 42-37 win, and the Lady Lions will be hungry for payback in Gypsum tonight.
“That was a big gut-it-out type of win for the girls and we knew it would come down to the wire,” SES head coach Shauna Smith said. “We composed ourselves for 32 minutes and survived a late run from them.”
While both teams like to play fast, the Lady Trojans will need to be careful not to let the game escalate into a full-blown track meet for 32 minutes.
“We want to play at our speed and we can’t let them set the tempo of this game,” Smith said. “We like to get up and down the court but we want to do that on our terms. Everyone will have to contribute and we know we’re going to have to put some points on the board tonight.”
Tip-off for the girl’s game is scheduled for 6:00 at SES.
Boys Game: SE of Saline (8-8, 2-5) vs. Minneapolis (3-13, 1-6)
On the boy’s side of things, Southeast will have to contend with a Minneapolis squad that plays much better than their record would indicate, taking 5th-ranked Ellsworth the distance earlier this week.
The first time these two met back in January, the Trojans ran away with a 67-32 rout, and will once again have to shut down Owen Just to have any chance at another big win.
“I thought we made it difficult for them to run offense in that first game,” SES head coach Bryson Flax said. “We were able to take some options away from them and make them work hard to get shots.”
While the Lions look far from flashy on paper, Minneapolis has battled with grit and grind this year, and is still capable of challenging the Trojans on Friday night.
“John Darrow still has them playing really hard,” Flax said. “It’s easy when you’re struggling to lose that part of it but they’ve stayed the course, we can’t get outworked by this group.”
The boy’s game will follow the girls’ at approximately 7:30 PM.
Broadcast Information
- Radio: KINA (910 AM/107.5 FM)
- Live Stream: Salina Post (Link Below)