By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
Tonight, the Southeast of Saline basketball teams will look to open the new year in style as they travel to Minneapolis for a pair of league matchups with the Lions and Lady Lions.
All four teams involved will be in search of a foothold in the NCAA standings, which are still wide open with two months remaining in the regular season.
Girls Game: SE of Saline (4-2, 2-0) vs. Minneapolis (7-0, 3-0)
The annual battles between the Lady Trojans and Lions have fast developed into one of the most entertaining rivalries in the league, and the first meeting between the two should be no different, featuring the last remaining undefeateds in the NCAA.
Minneapolis already began the new year with a 53-39 win over Sacred Heart on Tuesday, and SES capped off 2023 with a win of their own over the Lady Knights 35-25.
Now, these two foes will collide with a spot atop the league standings on the line in Minneapolis.
“This game means a lot to the girls especially after they came out and beat us in this game last year,” SES head coach Shauna Smith said. “They’ve been young for a long time but every year they get a little bit older and a little bit better. We know them well and a lot of our girls play with them in the summer which makes for a fun rivalry.”
In order to slow the Lady Lion advance, Southeast will have to contend with an offense that has shared the ball well this season, scoring over 55 points a night through the first month of the campaign.
“All of their kids on the floor can be scorers so we all have to play defense and we can’t zone in on one person,” Smith said. “We’ll have to play smart, we can’t take any possessions off, and we have to make them play defense in a half-court.”
Tip-off between the Lady Trojans and Lions is scheduled for 6:00 on the campus of Minneapolis.
Boys Game: SE of Saline (2-4, 0-2) vs. Minneapolis (1-6, 1-2)
On the boy’s side, this matchup will feature two teams looking to start the new year fresh after disappointing Decembers.
Both teams will look to erase the memory of a brutal loss at the hands of Sacred Heart in their last matchup as the two get set to do battle on Friday night.
For Southeast, the winter break was more than just a mental rest, it also allowed the Trojans to heal up physically, after a short turnaround between seasons.
“The break was much needed to say the least,” SES head coach Bryson Flax said. We’ve got a lot of guys that came straight over from football and this is a year-round grind for a lot of them so when you can squeeze in some time to rest up it can be refreshing and it can bring a team back with a different mindset.”
The Trojans will look to take advantage of a Lions squad that leans heavily on sophomore star Owen Just, who has helped carry their offense for better and worse in 2023.
“They run everything they do through the Just kid and they want to get as many shots for him as they can,” Flax said. “Coach Darrow does a good job of being creative in getting him space to get shots off and when you watch them on film you don’t see the losses getting to them, they’re still playing extremely hard and they really impressed me with how hard they play.”
In order to pick up their first league win of the season, Southeast will need to remain vigilant around Just defensively while not falling asleep on a number of role players around him who can be just as dangerous in stretches.
“They’ll throw a couple of different looks at you defensively but offensively the Just kid is option A, B, and C for them,” Flax said. “He’ll hit some shots but we can’t let other guys get free for offensive boards and stickbacks and we can’t give them easy opportunities in transition.”
Tip-off for the boy’s game will take place 15 minutes after the conclusion of the girl’s game.
Broadcast Information
- Location: Minneapolis High School
- Radio: KINA (910 AM/107.5 FM)
- SES Live Stream Video: Link Below
- Pregame: 5:30 PM