By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
The stage is set for an all-Salina sub-state championship today with the Central Lady Mustangs hosting the South Lady Cougars tonight for a trip to state at 7pm.
Central comes into this game 16-4 overall after beating Hays 52-29 while South enters at 9-11 fresh off a 51-35 win over Great Bend.
The two have already met twice this season with the Lady Stangs taking game one convincingly 67-39, but the Lady Cougars roaring back to take game two 66-53.
“South played a fantastic game that night,” Central head coach Chris Fear said. “They made threes, they got to the line and they really took it to us. We don’t like to lose but it may have been the wake up call that we needed and I really feel like that game was a turning point for us.”
With a split on the season series and both teams collectively winning 11 of their last 12, this could be an instant classic, and a game worthy of the sub-state final.
“They’re a super talented team and one that I respect a lot,” South head coach Ryan Stuart said. “Both teams are playing really well down the stretch here and I think it’s going to be a really good game, I just wish more people could go.”
With this being a rivalry game tensions are sure to run high, but both coaches acknowledged that the team that handles that pressure the best could very well be the one to come out on top.
“You can tell your team that it’s just another game but it’s not,” Fear said. “We’re in the postseason and you throw into the mix that you’re playing your cross-town rival, there’s going to be a lot of emotion. The team that can handle that piece of it the best will have a big advantage in all of this.”
Central will, as they have all season, rely on the dynamic scoring attack of Aubrie Kierscht, Mykayla Cunningham, Chaliscia Samilton, Hampton Williams and Landry Stewart, who combine to average over 52 points per game.
“We’re going to have to play good defense,” Stuart said. “They have a lot of talented scorers so we’ll have to keep to some of the scouting report keys that we have on them.”
For South’s part, they will continue to rely on Sydney Peterson, Kylie Arnold and Acacia Weis to carry the scoring load, with a lightning fast offense that has stifled opponents at times this season.
“Our defensive positioning will be a big key for us tonight,” Fear said. “South has a lot of good perimeter players who want to drive, kick and shoot threes so we have to make sure that we make drives difficult and make sure that we’re contesting those threes.”
Tip off is scheduled for 7pm at Central High School with the winner moving on to the state tournament next week.
Be sure to stay tuned to the Salina Post for continuing coverage of the Lady Cougars and Lady Mustangs throughout the sub-state and state tournaments.