By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
After cruising through their sub-state bracket, the Southeast of Saline boys' basketball team will make a triumphant return to the Hutchinson Sports Arena to open the 3A state tournament on Thursday.
The Trojans come in as this year’s two-seed at 22-1, and enter the bracket as the highest-ranked team remaining while their first opponent in Perry-Lecompton comes in as the 7-seed at 19-4.
Despite being placed in the only 3A sub-state bracket devoid of any teams with losing records, Southeast wasted no time punching their ticket to state last week, knocking off Phillipsburg 77-48, Russell 65-38, and Beloit 56-42 all in short order.
At the same time out in Perry, the Kaws were winning big games of their own, eliminating Jefferson West 67-36, Silver Lake 38-28, and Heritage Christian 73-66 in an overtime thriller.
Of the eight teams remaining in Class 3A, Southeast of Saline joins Galena and Hesston as the only three to return to Hutch this year, and as the top three seeds, all of them will be hungry to make their mark on this year’s tournament.
“I think our guys have embraced the idea of unfinished business,” SES head coach Bryson Flax said. “We don’t talk about that a whole lot and this team has a whole different feel about them this year. Nothing that’s coming at us is going to be a surprise from the pep rallies to the sendoff to the ins and outs of state. We know what to expect and hopefully, we’ll be able to get into a rhythm quicker.”
To get into that early rhythm, the Trojans will need the same level of defensive excellence that they showcased last week, holding those three opponents to just 43 points a night while averaging 66 themselves.
“We defended really well throughout sub-state,” Flax said. “On the first two nights, I thought we put a better product on the floor but we did some really good things against Beloit in a game where they gave us everything we could have wanted and more.”
Like every other team still playing basketball this deep into the postseason, Perry-Lecompton is a tough customer who will provide several challenges for SES, but the Trojans have faced more than their fair share of quality opponents this year, and will be more than up to the challenge on Thursday evening.
“Perry-Lecompton is long and athletic,” he said. “They have multiple guys that can score but they’re really led by a two-headed monster averaging 18 and 15 a game. They switch up their defense a lot and present a lot of challenges with their athleticism.”
That two-headed monster consists of Gunnar Ball and Kamryn Kaniper, who have been terrorizing opposing defenses all season long surrounded by a roster of talented role players.
“Ball is a solid player who wants to break you down off the dribble,” Flax said. “He’s a very capable kid who can step out and shoot the three as well. The Kaniper kid is a high-energy player who loves to get out in transition. They also have a little size inside that we’re going to have to keep off the glass and a couple of guys that can step out and shoot the three.”
With a win on Thursday, the Trojans would return to the state semifinals for a second straight season and give themselves an opportunity to become the first team in SES history to play for a 3A state title.
The winner of this game will advance to face either the defending state champs in Hesston (22-1) or the six-seed in Colby (20-3) at 8:00 on Friday.
Tip-off between the Trojans and Kaws is set for 6:00 in Hutch and the game can be heard on KINA (910 AM or 107.5 FM) courtesy of Bennington State Bank and Eagle Radio.
For continuing coverage of Trojan hoops throughout the state tournament, stay tuned to the Salina Post.