By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
The Southeast of Saline boys basketball team will shoot for their ninth win in a row as they look to lock up their first league title since 2007 against the 7-10 Ellsworth Bearcats.
The Trojans got the better of Ellsworth earlier this season, defeating the Bearcats 63-39 in a late January scrap, and holding their star Will Cravens to just seven points.
“We made Will work for everything he got,” SES head coach Bryson Flax said. “When you can make a guy like him work like he had to, it pays dividends throughout the course of the game.”
Southeast will need a similar defensive effort tonight to stay undefeated in league play heading into the final game of the regular season next week.
“We have to stay true to who we are,” Flax said. “We've got to get after it defensively, make them uncomfortable all over the floor, and we can’t let Will get going early.”
On the other side of the ball, Southeast will look to carry the momentum over from a win in a thriller against #4 Ellinwood last night, in which Nakari Morrical-Palmer put the Trojans on top in the closing seconds.
The last time these two met, Eli Sawyers had a monster game, leading the way with 25 points. It stands to reason that SES will look to run their offense through their frontcourt again tonight.
“I like us being us,” he said. “We need to have an emphasis on keeping the ball moving and not letting it stick. We are so efficient when the ball is moving and guys are moving without it.”
Tip-off between the Trojans and Bearcats 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.