The Ell-Saline Cardinal basketball squads opened the 2019-2020 season in Brookville Saturday evening, dropping a pair of contests with intra-country rival Southeast of Saline.

GIRLS:  Southeast of Saline 53, Ell-Saline 28

The Trojan defense forced 17 first-half turnovers, while outscoring Ell-Saline (0-1) in the second quarter 18-1 to turn an eight-point advantage at the end of the first quarter into a 25-point halftime edge.  While the Cardinal defense tightened in the second half, Southeast of Saline (2-0) held the Cardinal offense in check for the 25-point win.

Sophomore standout Karsyn Schlesener led the Trojan charge, finishing with 20 points to lead all scorers.  Senior Madison Fear chipped in ten points in the win.

Ell-Saline senior Erin Lange paced the Cardinal offense, finishing with a team-high ten points in the loss.

SCORE BY QUARTERS:

Southeast of Saline  19  18   7   9  –  53

Ell-Saline                   11    1   10  6  –  28

BOYS:  Southeast of Saline 68, Ell-Saline 19

Southeast of Saline (2-0) dominated the action in the nightcap from stem to stern, pulling out to a 16-point lead by the end of the first quarter, then extending the advantage to 26 points at halftime.  Following a 21-1 third quarter, the Trojans put it on cruise control over the final eight minutes for the 49-point win.

Trojan junior Bryant Banks lead all scorers on the night with 17 points, while freshman Eli Sawyers added 13 points off the bench in the victory.  Southeast of Saline received contributions up and down the roster, with 11 players finishing in the scoring column.

Cardinal juniors T.J. Morrical and Carter Underwood each finished with five points to lead Ell-Saline (0-1) in the loss.

SCORE BY QUARTERS:

Southeast of Saline  23  17  21   7  –  68

Ell-Saline                     7    7    1    4  –  19