Picture courtesy of Tanner Colvin
GIRLS FINAL:
SALINA CENTRAL 58
EISENHOWER 32
The Lady Mustangs knew where they needed to improve against an Eisenhower team that boasted the second best record in the AVCTL II and previously beat Central 44-37 in Salina.
Central’s opening possessions showed that Tuesday night would not be another offensive struggle like the last meeting with Eisenhower. On the other end, Central’s defense locked in on Eisenhower’s leading scorers and made it tough for them all night long.
Trailing by one after the first, Salina Central turned it up in the second quarter. The Lady Mustangs crashed the offensive glass to gain second chance points while limiting Eisenhower to one-and-done trips down the floor. Central grew its lead to 26-16 at halftime after grabbing nine offensive rebounds and having six different players score in the first half.
Juliett Abbott was especially impactful rebounding the ball while turning in six points off the bench, she finished with 10.
Defensively, Salina Central made life extremely difficult for Eisenhower’s leading scorer Mallori Rose. As a sophomore, Rose averages 16 points per game and has made the 4th most 3-pointers in the state. She finished the first half scoreless.
The Lady Tigers main adjustment in the third quarter was to pressure and send two defenders to the ball once it crossed half court. This took a couple possessions for Salina Central to adjust to, but having seen similar looks in their first meeting, they were prepared and began to handle it.
Sparked by Lexie Guerrero late, Salina Central turned a 10-point halftime lead into a 20-point lead more than halfway through the fourth quarter.
Eisenhower’s two leading scorers never found their rhythm in the second half and finished well below their season averages.
Guerrero finished with a team-high 14, Makambri Hastings had 11 and Macy O’Hara scored 9.
BOYS FINAL:
SALINA CENTRAL 64
EISENHOWER 52
The opportunity in front of the Mustangs on Tuesday night was simple: win and give yourself a chance to win a league title at the end of the season.
Going on the road to face a team you have already lost too didn’t make the task any easier, but Salina Central has managed to peak at the right time and that continued at Eisenhower.
The Tigers entered Tuesday in first place in the AVCTL II with a 7-1 league record. Salina Central entered with a 7-2 record, tied for second in the league with Andover.
Both teams understood what winning the game in front of them would mean for the remainder of their seasons, and it showed it the form of nervous energy in the opening minutes. After a few turnovers were exchanged and both teams saw the ball go through, they settled down.
Eisenhower’s senior point guard Owen Stanberry got off to a hot start, stealing three passes which all led to layups and knocking down two 3-pointers to score 12 of his team’s 16 first-half points.
Kaeden Nienke wore the cape for Central in the first half with his 11 points leading the way to a 26-16 lead at the half.
The second half was led by Greyson Jones. The Mustangs made to concerted effort to get Jones the ball inside against Eisenhower’s zone at first. After he found success against that, they switched to man, and he punished them in that defense as well.
Against one-on-one coverage, Jones could not be stopped as he scored 19 second-half points to total 26 in a dominant performance.
Gannon Cole knocked down some huge shots as well, including a late 3-pointer to extend the lead back to 10 for Salina Central in the fourth quarter.
After the final buzzer went off, the Mustangs had won and kept their hopes for a league title alive. The emphasis now shifts to their next game, as any loss to a league opponent will derail their hopes moving forward. Goddard is next up on Friday at Salina Central High School.
