By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
The Central Mustangs and South Cougars will meet for the second time this season in the Salina showdown on Tuesday night.
The longtime cross-town rivals tipped off their seasons against each other in what would eventually be a 57-35 victory for the Cougars, but both teams have done a considerable amount of growing since then.
“Central has gotten a lot better than they were in game one,” South head coach Jason Hooper said. “They have many offensive weapons and can be difficult to guard when they’re hitting 3 pointers. They play extremely hard and always make it tough to score.”
While both teams have matured and gotten some younger players more valuable game experience, each has also had their fair share of struggles, with Central entering this contest at 5-7 while South comes in at 6-6.
While the Mustangs have fallen in each of their last three games, each to opponents ranked in the top ten, the team has looked much more consistent on offense since the break.
“Our scoring has gone up,” Central head coach Ryan Modin said. “Several guys have stepped up and become bigger threats. Overall, everyone’s role is better defined now than when it was when we played them to start the year.”
While the Mustang offense has started to click, their defense will need to find an answer for Cougar junior Tejon McDaniel, who leads the team in points per game (17.6), rebounds, assists, and steals this season.
Both teams will look much different and more comfortable, but lessons learned by both in the season opener will play into how the familiar foes attack each other tonight.
"Their length can cause problems and it did for us that first game,” Modin said. “Everyone has to do their job for four quarters and guys have to make plays. Nothing is easy in a rivalry game and we need to be prepared for that.”
The atmosphere should give the Mustangs a boost as the team returns to their home gym for this midseason matchup.
“We need to handle the environment and emotion of the game,” Hooper said. “We have to stay true to who we are and play as a team on both ends of the floor. Winning 50/50 balls and the rebound battle are usually two key factors in these rivalry games.”
Tip-off between the Mustangs and Cougars is set for 7 pm at Central High School following the girl’s game at 6:00.