By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
The Southeast of Saline boys basketball team will stay at home for one final 2021 matchup as the #10 Trojans get set to battle #10 Sacred Heart before the Christmas break.
Sacred Heart enters this contest at 5-0 while SES comes in at 3-2 after defeating #3 Abilene but falling to #1 Hillsboro on Friday.
“I thought we did some really good things but you can’t spot a team like that a lead early in the game,” Trojan head coach Bryson Flax said. We defended well and it came down to 50/50 balls and they got a majority of those late.”
While the Knights sport the better record in this game, this will be their first battle with a top-ten opponent this season while Southeast has taken on #1 Hesston, #3 Abilene, and #1 Hillsboro.
“I definitely think we’ve seen a lot of growth and maturity in these first few games,” Flax said. “We’ve gotten some really good minutes from some guys that we had question marks next to and that’s what these first few games are all about.”
SES will once again have to deal with Sacred Heart senior Alex Disberger, who has had his way with opponents on the interior.
While Disberger remains the focus, the attention he draws inside has sprung shooters open around him, and those supporting players have delivered when the Knights needed them to.
“They run everything through Disberger and if he catches the ball in a good spot he’s basically unguardable but I’ve been really impressed with their wing play,” he said. “Those kids are shooting the heck out of the ball and that makes it harder to put extra bodies inside.”
Sacred Heart has dominated this rivalry for a long time, winning the last 16 meetings between the two. SES will be in search of their first win over the Knights since January 7, 2014.
It will take another massive effort for the Trojans to collect another win over a ranked opponent, and SES will have to contend with a defense that allows just 42 points per game to this point in the season.
“We have to defend well and we have to stay true to what we’re trying to do,” Flax said. “We can’t get caught up in the environment and offensively the first option might not be there but we have to make them work and extend possessions if we have to.”
Tip-off between the Trojans and Knights is set for 7 pm following the girl's game at 6.
As always, both games can be heard on KINA (910 AM or 107.5 FM) courtesy of Eagle Radio.