The Salina Central basketball teams wrapped up their midseason with the boys record currently at 8-10 after winning to Goddard 59-54 on February 21st.
The girls are 8-10 after winning against Goddard 44-37 on February 21st.
On Jan 23-25 the teams participated in the Salina Invitational Tournament (SIT) with the boys securing third place and the girls finishing in fifth.
The boys’ team opened SIT with a 55-51 win over Buhler before falling to Great Bend, who later placed first in the boys’ bracket, in a narrow 54-49 semifinal loss. They then rebounded with a 55-54 victory over Salina South to secure third place.
“We played really well,” head coach Chris Fear said. “We played Great Bend right to the end in the semifinal and were able to come back and beat South, which was a really good win for us.”
Against Great Bend, the Mustangs had a chance to tie the game in the final minute but couldn’t convert. Fear said only a few plays changed the game.
“It was a tight game, and when it’s that close, a lot of little things make the difference,” Fear said. “We had a chance to tie it with about 40 seconds left but didn’t get the shot to fall. They made their free throws at the end to pull away.”
Fear said the team was resilient against Salina South.
“We got behind early, almost by 10, but we made a nice run and had control until the last three minutes,” Fear said. “We made some mistakes and let them back in, but we got the stops we needed in the final two minutes.”
Senior guard Kamryn Jones currently leads the team with 14.5 points per game, while junior forward Kaden Snyder averages 13.9 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Both players were selected to the all-tournament team.
Fear said that he is proud of his players being selected.
“They both played really well and deserved to be all-tournament,” Fear said. “They’re our leaders in scoring, and Kaden is key for us in rebounding. We need them to play well for us to be successful.”
Snyder said the tournament showed the team’s potential.
“We’re better than we thought we were,” Snyder said. “That Great Bend game proved we can play at a high level.”
The girls’ team opened SIT with a 38-34 loss to Wamego but came back with wins over Junction City (66-12) and Abilene (58-30) to claim fifth place.
“We wanted that first one, but I’m happy we came out 2-1,” head coach Paige Talbott said. “Those last two games, we played really well as a team. Defensively, we locked in, and offensively, we figured things out.”
After scoring just 34 points in the opening loss, the Mustangs averaged 62 points in the final two games.
Talbott said it was a big accomplishment.
“We talked after that first game and said we needed to get the next two,” Talbott said. “The girls responded, and that was big for us.”
Defensively, the Mustangs held their final two opponents to a combined 42 points after allowing 38 in the first game.
Talbot said that the team performed well on defense.
“We’ve always been a defensive-minded team,” Talbott said. “That’s something we focus on because we know there are times we struggle to score. Everyone did their job, played together, and it showed.”
Senior forward Tahlia Morris said the team adjusted well after the opening loss.
“We reflected on what went wrong, and we knew we needed to execute better on offense,” Morris said. “We focused on making sure everyone contributed, and that’s what made the difference in those last two games.”
Despite finishing outside the top three, Morris said the tournament showed what the Mustangs are capable of when they play together.
“We need to be patient and focus on where we are now,” she said. “Even though we finished fifth, we realized how important patience is. It lets us control the game and our path to success.”
As both teams entered the final stretch of the regular season, Fear and Talbott emphasized the importance of building on what they learned in the tournament.
“If we keep playing at our potential, we have a chance to compete with anybody,” Fear said.
“We have to take care of things on defense and keep improving offensively,” Talbott said. “If we do that, we’ll put ourselves in a good position moving forward.”
