By TYLER HENRY
Little Apple Post contributor
The Southeast of Saline and Riley County girls basketball teams will meet in the sub-state championship game on Saturday with a ticket to the state tournament in Hutch next week on the line.
These two teams have taken drastically different routes to get here, with the #7 ranked Lady Trojans entering as the 1-seed at 19-3 while the Lady Falcons look for a third-straight upset at 10-10.
Southeast wrapped up a 39-28 come from behind victory over Beloit in their semifinal matchup, defeating the Trojans for a third straight time this season.
“We weren’t making baskets early and we weren’t taking shots or attacking the rim but eventually we wore them down,” SES head coach Shauna Smith said. “That pressure is what we’ve hung our hats on this year.”
For Riley County, upset wins over Minneapolis and Smoky Valley have given the team droves of momentum and confidence ahead of Saturday’s championship game.
“We were confident in our girls that if they executed the game plan we would be in a position to win,” Falcon head coach Kelsey Nelson said. “They came out in both of these games and executed to perfection, staying within themselves and controlling the game from start to finish.”
While Riley County may have entered the bracket as the 7-seed, teams like Southeast of Saline know better than to treat them like others in the Falcon’s position.
“We’re not surprised to see Riley County here,” Smith said. “At one point they could have been our first-round matchup and we didn’t want that. They play in a tough league and they’re a really tough team as a result.”
While the Falcons have looked good in their first two matchups, Riley County will have to amp up the intensity if they want to unseat a Lady Trojan team that rides a 12-game win streak into this game.
“SES is a better team than what we faced in the first two games,” Nelson said. “They are sound in what they do and very well-coached and you can see that reflected on the court.
This game will show off a contrast in styles of play, with Southeast of Saline wanting to use their pressure to work in transition, and Riley County remaining patient and jumping on mistakes.
“They’re going to make us work hard on defense,” Smith said. “They run offensive sets until they get a good look and they’ll get easy layups if you make any mistakes.”
For the Falcons, controlling the tempo will be paramount against a Trojan team that has made big runs in most of their games this season.
“Offensively we'll need to be able to handle their full-court pressure and have to attack when the opportunity presents itself,” Nelson said. “Early in the game, we'll have to get our girls into their plays and allow them to get comfortable while looking for good shot opportunities.”
A lot rides on this game for both programs, the last time SES clinched a spot in the state tournament was in 2016, just a season before the last Riley County run in 2017.
“I would be very proud of these girls if they were able to make it state, some of them have been waiting for their opportunity to play for four years due to the good classes ahead of them,” Nelson said. “If these girls are able to get over that hump and make it to state it would be great for our team, our school, and our community.”
Riley County will look to avoid falling in the sub-state final for a third consecutive year while the Lady Trojans will look to take the next step after falling short last season without a single senior on the roster.
“We’ve been talking about this since last March ever since we lost to Hesston,” Smith said. “These senior girls have worked their tails off and they deserve this, we have a fun group and we’ve talked about taking the next step all season.”
Tip-off between the Lady Trojans and Falcons is set for 7 pm at Minneapolis High School, with the winner moving on to Hutch next week to compete for a state title.
Tonight’s game can be heard on KINA (910 AM or 107.5 FM) or streamed live on the Salina Post courtesy of Bennington State Bank.
For continuing coverage of both teams at sub-state, stay tuned to the Salina Post.