By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
After taking down the two-time defending state champions in Hesston and claiming the #1 spot in Class 3A, the Southeast of Saline boys’ basketball team needed to make a statement to solidify their new throne.
That statement came in the form of a 70-38 shellacking of the Smoky Valley Vikings on Tuesday, that allowed the Trojans to cruise to a 2-0 start.
Things started well for the underdogs from Lindsborg who held an 11-10 lead at the end of the first quarter, but from there, the Trojans slammed the gas and never looked back, outscoring the Vikings 45-14 in the second half.
“Credit to Smoky, they came in with a lot of energy, a lot of intensity, and a lot of confidence,” SES head coach Bryson Flax said. “They hit some shots and got some stops early. I told the guys before the game that they were going to get someone’s best shot every single night.”
When it mattered most, Southeast’s veterans came to play, as Luke Gebhardt, Eli Sawyers, and Nakari Morrical-Palmer led the way with 15, 14, and 10 respectively.
“Smoky Valley always plays us tough,” Flax said. “They always keep us guessing but we have a bunch of dudes and once they get it going they’re so hard to stop in transition, especially where we’re sharing the ball.”
SES also got a massive boost from their bench, as ten different Trojans found the scoring column with everyone pitching in on defense as Southeast muted the Viking attack.
“It doesn’t matter to these guys who scores,” he said. “They’re an unselfish group and you would have to try really hard to convince me that we don’t have the best bench in the state. That’s absolutely huge and we can go to our bench with confidence knowing they’re going to bring it and we’re not going to see a drop-off.”
Southeast of Saline will now turn their attention to a Friday road trip to Beloit for a pre-Christmas installment of the Trojan war to open league play.
“We’ve looked pretty good in Beloit but their roster looks much different,” Flax said. “They can shoot it, Beisner is good inside, they’re good on the glass, and they have some young talent. The question is can they guard our veterans but on an initial glance they look pretty good to me.”
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