The Lady Cougars fell to the Liberal Redskins 52-44, while in the boys contest, the Cougars took care of business 64-42.
Girls Contest
Liberal 52
Salina South 44
The first contest was between the Salina South Lady Cougars and the Liberal Redskins and was a close matchup between the two teams. Liberal lead in the game after each quarter and while Salina South was always seemingly within reach of closing deficit the Lady Redskins would pull away again. It was evident it was the first game for both teams as there were some preseason mistakes. Missed free throws and shots as well as some loose ball control. For the Cougars, Brooklyn Jordan and Brylee Moss got into early foul trouble and disrupted the flow of the game for Salina South. Despite the foul trouble, Jordan finished the night with 12 points on the night.
Paityn Fritz missed some early shots and free throws but settled in as the contest went on. She had only 5 first half points but ended with 17 points in the game. The pressure from Liberal threw a wrench in the Cougars’ offense. South had multiple turnovers and had struggled getting their offense set up. For Liberal, they were lead in scoring by Shamari Lewis with 18 points. Lewis and Kylie Rhine’s presence on the court was noticeable as the two seniors were able to drive the basketball shoot from outside. Down in the paint, Maliyah Mullens had 10 points and battled with Fritz all night.
The Cougars cut the deficit to 4 late in the game but were not able to get over the hump to tie or take the lead in the contest as they fell 52-44. The Cougars will continue their preseason tournament against McPherson on Friday night. Liberal will play Haysville Campus.
Boys Contest
Liberal 42
Salina South 64
In the boys contest, the Salina South Cougars dominated from start to finish to start their season 1-0. On the night, the Cougars played 12 different players and had 10 different players that scored. Salina South was dominant on both sides of the glass as missed shots lead to new opportunities for the Cougars. Many times, the Cougars would double team the point guard when the ball was brought past half court and the Redskins struggled with the pressure.
The Cougars led 31-19 at halftime but pulled away in the 3rd quarter and took a 54-30 lead in the final quarter. A running clock was initiated with around 4 minutes left that led to the final score of 64-42.
Salina South’s Jaxon Myers led all scorers with 15 points. Sawyer Walker added 13 points as well. Sharing the basketball was evident for the Cougars tonight and they picked each other up when a mistake was made. Caden Stauffer, Brysen Augustine, Wyatt Breeden and Jaxton Kitchener all saw significant minutes off the bench for Salina South. The Redskins were led in scoring by James Fieser and Juan Diego who both had 10 points on the night.
Salina South will play McPherson on Friday night as it continues its preseason tournament. The Redskins will take on Haysville Campus.
