By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
Earlier this season, the Southeast of Saline boys basketball team stunned Sacred Heart, defeating the Knights for the first time since 2014 in a 60-39 home victory.
Tonight, the Trojans have a chance to do something they haven’t done since head coach Bryson Flax was a senior in 2007; defeat Sacred Heart on their home floor in Salina.
“A sweep would be really good for the guys,” Flax said. “Our ultimate goal is to continue to get better daily and to set ourselves up nicely for sub-state. You want to say this is just another game but there’s always a little something extra when you play there.”
Southeast dominated the opening matchup between these two, forcing Sacred Heart to play at an uncomfortably fast pace and exploiting a lack of game experience from the younger Knights.
“We really sped them up in that first game. Even their uncontested shots had guys closing out, “ he said. “They’ve played better teams now and with more game experience we’re not expecting the speed of the game to bother them the way it did.”
Nakari Morrical-Palmer was immaculate in that game, coming up just shy of a triple-double in the huge win.
While the post play of Morrical-Palmer and Eli Sawyers will be huge again tonight, the Trojans will need all of their role players to do their part to keep the SES offense multi-dimensional.
“We have to hit shots from the perimeter because lately teams have been really packing it in on us and putting an emphasis on Eli and Nakari,” Flax said. “We have to rip hard off the dribble and get to the rim and knock down shots from the outside.”
Since falling to the Trojans the only loss Sacred Heart has suffered came at the hands of a perennial powerhouse in Hays TMP last week.
The Knights will enter at 10-2, hungry for a shot to get right back into the race for a league title.
“Defensively they’re very bought into what they want to do,” he said. “Things still run through Disberger but all of those sophomores have gotten meaningful game experience as well and they’re going to be ready to compete.”
This clash will take place in hostile territory for the Trojans in a gym that has turned into a house of horrors for the purple and white for over a decade.
“We pride ourselves on bringing our own energy but it’s always a good atmosphere in Salina,” Flax said. “They’re playing better and their fans are into it and it’ll be a fun Tuesday night.”
Tip-off between the Trojans and Knights is scheduled for 7 pm following the girl’s game at 6.
As always, both games can be heard on KINA (910 AM or 107.5 FM) or streamed on the Salina Post.