By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
After knocking off two ranked opponents in their first four games, the Southeast of Saline boys’ basketball team will face a third on Thursday when SES travels to Hillsboro for a bonus Trojan War.
Hillsboro (2-2) has had a wildly volatile start to their season but remains ranked at #9 in 2A while Southeast (4-0) has remained steady, holding onto the #1 spot in Class 3A.
Despite their recent successes, including a win over #7 Abilene from Class 4A on Tuesday, the Trojans continue to look for ways to improve, seeking to close the gap between where they are and where they could be at their peak.
“We still went through a stretch where we couldn’t put the ball in the basket and I don’t consider that to be super concerning but we can’t go 4-5 minutes without scoring,” SES head coach Bryson Flax said. “Shot selection and ball movement are big there and then defensively we were as good as we’ve been but we can still improve.”
Now, Southeast will face the preseason #1 from Class 2A in a Hillsboro team still putting the pieces together after graduating a majority of their minutes from a season ago.
This early-season gauntlet hasn’t phased the Trojans in the slightest, if anything, it’s become something SES looks forward to as they continue to sharpen their skills in the crucible of these kinds of matchups.
“The guys embrace our schedule and they know that these are the types of teams that we’re going to be playing late,” Flax said. “They know that we want to see a number of different looks and we saw how that benefited us last year. They go out and compete night in and night out and that’s what we’re asking for.”
To knock off a third ranked opponent, SES must find an answer for senior standout Brekyn Ratzlaff, who is the biggest holdover from last year’s Hillsboro juggernaut.
“They’re willing to shoot the three ball and they have one of the premier guards in the state of Kansas in Ratzlaff,” he said. He can really dice you up if you let him get downhill and he can find those open shooters. They’ll run their offense until they get a good look or find a mismatch and they’re so well coached that they’re always a challenge to play.”
In order to slow a player like Ratzlaff down, the Trojans will look to Drake Augustine, who has established himself as a defensive stopper for an already stout Southeast unit.
“Everybody has grown up a little bit this year which has been encouraging to see but one guy that I’m extremely excited for is Drake Augustine,” he said. “He’s been tasked with guarding our opponent’s best player and even though we’ve asked so much of him on the defensive end he’s really embraced that role and he’s been pesky and stood out for us defensively.”
Tip-off between the two Trojans is set for 7:30 pm on the campus of Hillsboro high school following the girls’ game at 6:00.
As always both games can be heard on KINA (910 AM or 107.5 FM) or streamed with live audio and video on the Salina Post.