HAVEN, Kan. – The Hesston girls used a hot start offensively coupled with a suffocating defense to pull away from Southeast of Saline early in the 3A Sub-State 2 championship game on Saturday night. The Swathers held the Trojans to just seven first half points on their way to a 17-point victory.
Hesston 48, Southeast of Saline 31 – Tied at two early in the game, Hesston went on a 10-0 run to lead 12-2 and after the next basket for Southeast of Saline, they scored six straight again to lead 18-4 early in the second quarter. The Swathers scored just seven points in the second quarter, but their swarming defense held the Trojans to just three points, all free throws. The defense stayed strong in the third quarter as Hesston held a 33-14 lead after three quarters, holding Southeast of Saline to just five field goals through the first three frames. The Southeast offense got going in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Swathers 17-15, but the resurgence came too late as Hesston’s lead was never less than 13 points the rest of the way.
Senior point guard Callie Yoder stood out for the Swathers, finishing with a game-high 19 points, including 3-3 from three-point land and 4-4 from the free throw line. Jaden Williams was also in double figures with 11 points and had an outstanding night on the defensive end of the floor. For Southeast of Saline, Regan Duran, who scored the first five points for her team, finished with 11. Kyiah Samuelson, the team’s leading scorer coming into the night, finished with ten points, scoring eight in the fourth quarter.
Hesston moves on to the state tournament for the third consecutive season and the 15th time in program history. They have won five straight and head to state with a 17-9 record. They are the #7 seed in the 3A tournament and will face #2 Silver Lake, which is 25-1, at 6:00 Wednesday in Emporia. Southeast of Saline finished their season at 18-6 with the loss.
SES – Duran 11, Samuelson 10, Pearson 4, Heinrich 3, Durfee 2, Goetz 1
Hesston – Yoder 19, Williams 11, Proctor 7, Warden 5, Grilliot 2, Lehman 2, Martin 2
