Salina South senior guards Devon Junghans and Josh Jordan closed the door on Salina Central last Friday.

The duo did it again.

Junghans and Jordan combined for 13 points in the fourth quarter, the Cougars defense blocked numerous shots, and the Cougars improved to 4-0 after a 56-48 victory over Maize South Tuesday night in Salina.

Salina South struggled to get in rhythm to start. While seniors AJ Johnson and Colin Schreiber were roaming the paint defensively, South’s offense only generated seven points, falling behind 14-7 after the first.

The Cougars clawed back to knot up the game with an 11-4 burst. Jordan hit a pair of threes while Johnson went five-of-six at the free throw line, propelling Salina South to a 24-20 halftime advantage.

Salina South pushed the margin out to 10, 36-26, but settled for a 39-32 cushion after three. Junghans and Jordan would thwart any chance at a Maverick comeback.

Jordan opened the fourth with his third trey. Junghans followed with back-to-back triples, ballooning the lead to 13, 48-35. Maize South would continue to fight, shrinking the margin to six, but ran out of time.

Jordan paced the Cougars with 21 points. Junghans added 13, eight coming in the final period, Schreiber chipped in 12.

MAIZE SOUTH 50, SALINA SOUTH 24

The Salina South girls basketball team couldn’t crack the defensive code of Maize South.

Neither team could get in a groove. The first bucket was logged with 4:50 to play in the first by Maize South. The Cougars stayed in the hunt, forcing eight turnovers. However, the Cougars couldn’t get on the board, falling behind 10-0 after the first eight minutes.

Salina South finally scored with 4:30 to play in the first half to trim the margin to 13-2. Maize South pulled away, building a 24-7 advantage at intermission.

The Cougars opened the second half on a 9-3 run, highlighted by Lizzy Franco buckets to pull the Cougars within 27-16. Maize South called for a timeout and never look back, expanding the cushion to 35-18 after the third.

Franco, Acacia Weis and Elena Herbel all logged six points each. Avery Lowe paced the Mavericks with 13 points.

The Salina South girls host Hutchinson Thursday. The boys game has been postponed, setting up a tipoff time of 7:30 pm on Y93.7.