By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
The Southeast of Saline girls basketball team will look to keep the good times rolling in 2022 as they get set to take on the 4-8 Ellsworth Bearcats on Friday night.
Ellsworth enters this game at 1-3 in league play, fresh off a 30-point loss to Cimmaron while the Lady Trojans remain a perfect 4-0 in NCAA play.
SES had done all of their recent damage without a huge presence in Lexi Jacobson, but the sophomore returned to score seven big points against Republic County, and played a big role in shutting out the Lady Buffs for a whole half.
“Lexi brings a lot of rebounding prowess and adds another offensive threat,” SES head coach Shauna Smith said. “She’s quick and explosive and she brings a whole new element to our ability to score.”
With Jacobson back in the lineup, the Lady Trojans are nine-deep and more dangerous than ever, with a defensive rotation that rivals any other in the state.
“The girls have been very disciplined and every day we put a huge emphasis on our defense,” Smith said. “That effort has been great but now we’re shifting our emphasis to offense because we know our defense is going to be there for us.”
The next task for SES comes in the form of a very young Ellsworth team that has struggled to find consistency this season, but that has looked sharp in stretches.
The Lady Bearcats are led by senior Natalie Rolfs who is one of the few veteran leaders on the team in addition to being the focal point offensively.
“We have to keep her in front of us,” she said. “They’re going to play hard and attack the basket so we have to buckle down and play some hard-nosed defense and push the ball up the court when we have the opportunity.”
On the other side of the ball, SES will need to continue putting together solid offensive efforts, and much of that will hinge on varying up their attack.
“We’re averaging 6-7 threes a game but we can’t live and die by that,” Smith said. “We have to stay aggressive and continue to attack the basket. That really opens up our outside shooting and keeps the pressure on a defense.”
Tip-off between the Trojans and Bearcats is set for 6 pm at Ellsworth High School with the boy’s game to follow at 7.
Both games can be heard on KINA (910 AM or 107.5 FM) or streamed live on the Salina Post.