Eisenhower boys stay unbeaten with 2-point win over Salina Central

Having a Class 5A state tournament caliber opponent in Salina Central coming off holiday break, Eisenhower used the extra preparation time to focus on one thing: defending the three-point line.

Tanner King says the Tigers ran 1-on-1 defensive drills every practice during the break, emphasizing taking away shots from behind the arc.

On Friday, Eisenhower held Salina Central to six three-pointers and held the Mustangs to single digit points in two quarters. Still, Salina Central managed to cut the Eisenhower lead two points with just over two seconds to play.

The Mustangs got a clean look at the basket off the full-court inbounds pass, but a shot bounced off the rim and Eisenhower remained undefeated with a 48-46 win.

“The biggest thing we were able to do is scout them very well,” Eisenhower coach Steve Blue said. “For us, it was about guarding the three-point line. Last time they played, against Campus, they had 13 threes. We spent a lot of time getting out on the shooter and I thought we did a really good job tonight contesting as many shots as we could.

“They’re a great shooting team, so you’re never going to stop them. I thought our defense was as good as it’s been in a long time.”

Being tied 17-17 at halftime, King said that the offensive focus coming out of the locker room was to get the ball in the paint. After shooting 38 percent after two quarters, Eisenhower made offensive adjustments.

Leading scorer Dylan Vincent’s ability to drive and kick to the open player paid off in the third quarter. Eisenhower finished on an 8-0 scoring run, capped off by a buzzer-beating layup after a steal by King, who finished with 12 points and made his last six shots.

“Coach (Blue) told us we were playing soft and we were trying to shoot threes. That’s not our game,” King said. “We just had Dylan and all of our guards drive and just kick. That was our focus (in the second half).”

Salina Central protected the ball in the first half, only turning it over three times. When Eisenhower turned up the pressure and the tempo, the Mustangs did not respond well, committing nine turnovers in the second half.

The Mustangs were able to force some turnovers themselves using a full-court press, resulting in Salina Central getting to the free throw line and cutting the deficit to one possession.

“They’re physical and they sped us up a little bit,” Salina Central coach Doug Finch said. “We didn’t set some very good screens and got a little careless. They’re a good defensive team. We’ve been a team that values the basketball all year, but you’re going against some great competition.

“We got caught up and made a few mistakes.”

Salina Central forced Eisenhower into a slower paced game, causing Eisenhower to be very impatient on offense early, Blue said. Adjusting to the pace, Eisenhower finished the game shooting 46 percent from the field on offense and controlled the lead for the majority of the second half.

“When you play a team of this caliber, you’ve got to be able to adapt and play whatever pace works to find a way to win the game,” Blue said. “I thought in the second half we did a much better job. We weren’t sped up.

“Playing a game like this this early, especially coming off break and being off for a couple of weeks, what a great atmosphere and what a great way to start 2018.”

This story was originally published January 5, 2018 at 10:35 PM with the headline "Eisenhower boys stay unbeaten with 2-point win over Salina Central."