By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
The Southeast of Saline basketball teams finished off a clean sweep of Ellsworth on Friday, with the girls winning their eighth straight, and the boys defeating the Bearcats in Gannon Jacobson’s triumphant return.
Girls: SE of Saline 58, Ellsworth 21
Ellsworth entered this contest on a four-game win streak, with a high-profile win over Ellinwood and a pair of blowouts over LaCrosse and Plainville.
Southeast of Saline quickly put a stop to that run, taking a 32-14 lead into halftime and never looking back.
The Lady Trojans turned in their best performance of the night in the third quarter, rattling off 15 points on offense while holding Ellsworth to just two free throws.
Ellsworth would score just two field goals in the entire second half as Southeast pulled away for a 58-21 win, their eighth in a row.
Kyiah Samuelson was a monster in this game, scoring a staggering 30 points, including 18 in the first half alone.
No Lady Bearcats ended the night in double digits with a six-point performance from Kari Place as the high watermark on the night.
With this win, the Lady Trojans improve to 13-3 overall and 5-2 in league play, while Ellsworth drops to 10-4 and 4-3 respectively.
Boys: SE of Saline 63, Ellsworth 52
After a serious injury ended his football season, many assumed that Gannon Jacobson would not be able to take to the hardwood at all this season, but on Friday night, the senior made his debut, and the Trojans found their way to a win over Ellsworth.
While Jacobson scored just five points in this game, his presence changed the tone on the floor, and after getting down 19-12 early, Southeast came roaring back.
The Trojans turned a one-point halftime lead into a ten-point advantage at the end of the third, holding off a pair of stellar performances to secure a 63-52 victory.
Tucker Goss and Cooper McGowan each had monster nights for Ellsworth, finishing with 24 and 12 points, respectively.
Those performances were matched with interest by a trio of double-digit Trojan scorers, as Hendrix Lund (20), Tiernan Ptacek (15), and Adam Thiel (15) led the way in a Trojan victory.
With this win, Southeast of Saline improves to 5-11 while the Bearcats fall to 4-10.
You can watch both games on demand below.