By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
In 2016, the Southeast of Saline girl’s basketball team returned to the Hutchinson Sports Arena for a trip to the state tournament, but after falling to Sabetha in the quarterfinal, the Lady Trojan program hit a lull.
SES combined for a record of 10-31 over the next two years, before a starry-eyed freshman class helped get the team back on track with a 12-9 2018-19 season.
In the three years that followed, Southeast has built one of the strongest teams in Class 3A, winning league titles, sub-state games, and this season, punching a ticket back to the state tournament in Hutch amidst just the second 20-win season in program history.
“I’m super proud of these girls,” SES head coach Shauna Smith said. “We knew when this group of seniors came in as freshmen that we needed to build something here and every year our goal has been to take the next step.”
That next step has the Lady Trojans as the 5-seed in a loaded state bracket, with a first-round matchup against 21-2 Goodland on Thursday afternoon.
“I had an opportunity to come here as a player in volleyball and basketball and to bring a team here as a coach with my dad beside me is really an awesome feeling,” Smith said. “We want the girls to take it all in and enjoy every bit of it.”
Come Thursday at 4:00 things will be all business for the Lady Trojans, who prepare to face a Cowgirl team ranked one spot ahead of SES at #6 in Class 3A.
A gauntlet of a schedule that included games against former #1 Hugoton, #1 Sterling from Class 2A, Hesston and Beloit, has given Southeast a taste of the competition that is to come in Hutchinson.
“Playing in those big games has prepared us for games like this,” she said. “We know that you don’t blow people out in the state tournament and it’s hard to rise to this level of competition if you haven’t seen it before.”
Goodland has faced some of the top teams in the state as well, falling to Hugoton in overtime but earning wins of 53-15 over Beloit and defeating a 5A foe in Hays 57-55.
The Cowgirls will test Southeast on the interior, with players like Talexa Weeter, Lindsey Cure, and Emma Lehman leading the way for Goodland this season.
“They’re big inside and we’re going to give up some shots but we have to stick to our game plan,” Smith said. “They’re really long and rangy and they like to push the ball. We’ll have to take care of our possessions, handle their trap and shoot the ball well.”
The Lady Trojans will need to rely on their veterans like Karsyn Schlesener, Mallorie Pearson, and Alaina Yianakopulos to settle into an early rhythm in an intense neutral environment.
“This is a hard place to play in,” she said. “The student section can be hard to shoot at but we have to keep playing our game. Goodland is in the same boat as we are and I hope watching the guy's game helped us get some of those jitters out.”
Both teams will come into this contest red-hot, with Southeast riding a 12-game win streak and Goodland on a 10-game streak of their own.
One of these will have to come to an end but for the winner, a shot at the state semis against 22-1 Silver Lake or 15-8 Cherryvale awaits on Friday.
While Goodland presents their own set of challenges, this Southeast team is confident in its abilities, and is more experienced, talented, and battle-tested than any other Lady Trojan team in the last five years.
“They believe that if they play up to their potential they can win a state title,” Smith said. “I would have questioned playing against size like this early in the season but we’ve proven that we can play with state contenders throughout the year and these girls are ready to rise to the occasion.”
Tip-off between the Lady Trojans and Cowgirls is set for 4 pm in Hutch and as always, the game can be heard on KINA (910 AM or 107.5 FM) courtesy of Eagle Radio.
For continuing coverage of both SES teams throughout the state tournament, stay tuned to the Salina Post.