By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
The Southeast of Saline Trojans got back to league action on Friday night and secured a split in Ellsworth, as the Lady Trojans held onto first place in the NCAA while Ellsworth’s boys maintained their grip on second.
Girls Game: SE of Saline 38, Ellsworth 35
Despite a slow night offensively, Southeast’s defense put on another masterclass, holding Ellsworth under 12 points in all four quarters.
With this win, the Lady Trojans move to 9-3 overall and remain the last undefeated team in the league at 4-0 while Ellsworth falls to 7-6 and 1-3.
“We knew after playing a game last night that this one was going to be tough for us and they’re better than what their record shows,” SES head coach Shauna Smith said. “We knew this was going to be a gut-it-out type of game but this is what we do.”
Neither team had a single player in double digits, but the Lady Trojans spread the wealth evenly among five different players, with Lexi Jacobson (9), Aba Pearson (9), Regan Duran (8), and Maddie Harris (7) leading the charge.
Alexis Moore led Ellsworth with eight points in the losing effort, but the Lady Bearcats couldn’t overcome 13 first-half turnovers.
The Lady Trojans will be back in action next Tuesday when they travel to Salina to take on rival Sacred Heart.
Boys Game: SE of Saline 31, Ellsworth 44
On the boy’s side, the Bearcats continued to roll, extending their win streak to six games and remaining level with Sacred Heart in a tie for second atop the NCAA standings.
With this result, Southeast falls to 6-6 (1-3 in league), while Ellsworth moves to 12-1 (3-1).
The Trojans held the lead early and maintained the advantage going into the locker room, but the second half was a Will Cravens masterpiece as the senior dropped 21 points, including nine from the stripe, to finish as the leading scorer (29).
Southeast struggled to match pace offensively, with just four Trojans entering the scoring column, led by another double-digit performance from Owen Bailey (15).
The road won’t get any easier for SES, who will travel to Salina next Tuesday for a rematch with Sacred Heart.