GIRLS FINAL:
SALINA SOUTH 49
ARK CITY 16
The Lady Cougars kicked it into full gear after a slow start against Ark City on Tuesday night. Both offenses tried to establish themselves early, but after the first quarter, South only led 8-7 with head coach Justin Ebert leading a passionate huddle before South stepped onto the court for the second quarter.
It was clear Ark City had no answers for senior Paityn Fritz who got her touches in the paint, scoring and rebounding at will to the tune of 16 first half points as South led 23-14 at the break. Fritz may have dominated scoring the ball, but her teammates kept Ark City quiet on the other end.
On the perimeter, sophomore guard Kyla Hamel created multiple fast break opportunities for South by grabbing at least three steals in the first half, which almost all led to points in transition. She finished with five points as well.
The third quarter was the most complete frame South has had in the early part of this season. The Lady Cougars held Ark City scoreless and rattled off 25 unanswered points to build their largest lead of the season.
Executing their full court zone pressure to perfection, Ark City struggled to inbound the ball cleanly against South, and many times they could not get it across half court without turning it over.
Filling in for an injured Brylee Moss, senior Sophie Daily poured in a season-high 10 points with eight coming in the third quarter to help build the lead. Fellow seniors Izzy Maxton and Lauren Crow combined to score 11 of their own points in the explosive third quarter.
South coasted to victory in the fourth and improved to 3-1 on the young season.
BOYS FINAL:
SALINA SOUTH 57
ARK CITY 38
The South boys remained red-hot to start the season, starting 3-0 for the first time since 2020. That team enjoyed a 13-0 start to its season and these Cougars are looking to create a similar run of their own.
“This group kind of reminds me of that 2020 team,” said head coach Jason Hooper after South’s fourth straight win to open the season.
Coming into Tuesday night, South saw they’d have a decisive height advantage inside, making rebounding the priority for the game.
The Cougars established 6’6 senior Gavin Devoe early, as he scored a game-high 12 points in the first half and finished with 14. Devoe may not have scored like he did in the first half, but he controlled the offensive and defensive glass to create more opportunities for South and limit Ark City to just one the whole game.
Leading by as many as 26 in the second half, South made Ark City play with a lid on the basket, holding them to just 25 points through three quarters. Full court pressure was another recipe for success, forcing Ark City to exhaust energy before even beginning to run any offense.
Meanwhile, the Cougars got offense from everywhere. After seven Cougars scored five or more points in the win over Campus, six scored the same or more in another balanced scoring effort courtesy of Easton Wilcox, Jaxon Myers, Kobie Henley, Sawyer Walker and Brysen Augustine.
South continues to show that there isn’t one option on this team you can stop, without unlocking another.
Now 4-0, the Cougars await their annual matchup with crosstown rival Salina Central on Friday.
