By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
After closing out their regular season on a nine-game winning streak, the Southeast of Saline boys' basketball team will turn their attention to sub-state, and to a Tuesday quarterfinal at home against Phillipsburg.
The Trojans come into this contest ranked as the #2 team in Class 3A at 19-1 while the Panthers enter as the 8-seed at a still very respectable 10-10.
After returning everyone from a team that took third at state last season, hopes and expectations are high in Gypsum, and the Trojans are eager to get back on the floor in a playoff atmosphere.
"It’s always a good feeling around playoff time," SES head coach Bryson Flax said. "Everyone is 0-0, everyone has a chance, and everything you did in the summer and early in the year all leads to this. It's about surviving one game at a time."
Despite holding the top seed and home court for this round one tilt, Southeast finds themselves in the only 3A bracket, boys or girls, to feature eight teams with a record at or above .500.
As a result, there will be no pushovers on the path to state, and the Trojans will need to remain vigilant from the opening tip of game one.
"Phillipsburg isn’t your typical 8-seed," Flax said. "They’re really balanced in their scoring, so you can’t help off of anyone too much. Defensively they switch it up between zone and man throughout the entire game. We'll have to recognize quickly and get into our offense while playing with good pace and rebounding at a high level."
The winner of this 1-8 matchup will advance to the bracket semifinals to face either 13-7 Russell or 12-8 Ellsworth on Friday.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the bracket, second-seeded Beloit (15-5) will host Hoisington (11-9) with the winner of that game getting either 13-7 Norton, or 11-9 Smoky Valley in the other Friday semifinal.
Tip-off between the Trojans and Panthers is scheduled for 6:00 at the Purple Palace in Gypsum, and as always, the game can be heard on KINA (910 AM or 107.5 FM) or streamed with live audio and video on the Salina Post courtesy of Bennington State Bank.
For continuing coverage of Southeast of Saline hoops throughout the sub-state tournament, stay tuned to the Salina Post.