Southmoreland Scotties Boys

Head Coach: Frank Muccino – 14th season

Conference: Class 4A Section 3

Last Season: 8-12 overall – missed playoffs

Key Losses: Isaac Trout

Key Returners: Ty Keffer, Ronnie Collins, Wyatt Richter, Kelvin Lin, Elijah Myers

While Southmoreland boys basketball has the potential to be a much-improved squad from a year ago, the section has undoubtedly become more challenging, too. As a result, longtime Southmoreland head coach Frank Muccino is more focused on his team’s growth, as opposed to wins and losses.

“Continuing improvement, fight to make the playoffs,” Muccino said of the Scotties’ goals for the 2022-23 campaign.

That improvement should be attainable, as Southmoreland graduated just one key component, and returns five notable rotational players.

Isaac Trout, who averaged 9 points last season, was lost to graduation, as he continued his athletic career on the gridiron at Waynesburg University.

The Scotties return leading scorer Ty Keffer, a junior who averaged 19.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists a year ago. Another junior, Ronnie Collins, will be a focal point, as he posted 7.0 points and 3.9 boards per contest, while classmate Wyatt Richter produced averages of 4.4 points and 2.7 rebounds. The senior duo of Elijah Myers and Kelvin Lin, each of whom averaged more than 4 points per game, are also back in the mix.

Myers and Lin are the only seniors on the roster, however, while the Scotties feature 10 juniors, three sophomores, and five freshmen.

After Southmoreland’s fifth-place finish in Class 4A Section 3 a year ago, realignment added Laurel Highlands and Albert Gallatin to the section, while Belle Vernon Area, Uniontown Area, and Elizabeth Forward, the top three finishers last season, all return. The Mustangs and Colonials drop from 5A, where Laurel Highlands won its section and the WPIAL title, while AG finished second in that section.

The Scotties opened their campaign with a lopsided win against Frazier 75-38, as Keffer exploded for 30 points.

Before beginning the section slate against Belle Vernon Area on Jan. 3, matchups on the horizon include tilts against former section foes Yough and Mount Pleasant Area.

Southmoreland Scotties Girls

Head Coach: Amber Cernuto – 3rd season

Conference: Class 4A Section 3

Last Season: 19-5 overall – lost to Knoch in WPIAL Class 4A semifinals; lost to Blackhawk in PIAA Class 4A second round

Key Losses: Gracie Spadaro, Delaynie Morvosh, Elle Pawlikowsky

Key Returners: Maddie Moore

Promising Newcomers: Reagan Carson, Lilly Wasmund, Bea Pawlikowsky

After several years of being a WPIAL title contender, the Southmoreland girls are in an unusual position for the 2022-23 campaign. With the graduation of several invaluable contributors, plus the loss of their top returner due to injury, the Scotties are embarking on a season that could be more about rebuilding than contending.

After a WPIAL title appearance a few years ago, the Scotties came up a game shy last season, as they fell in the semifinals to Knoch. The Scotties also won a contest in the state tournament, but were eliminated in the second round by WPIAL champion Blackhawk, finishing at 19-5.

This year’s version will look noticeably different, though, as the trio of Gracie Spadaro, Delaynie Morvosh, and Elle Pawlikowsky all graduated. Spadaro, now playing at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, tallied averages of 14.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.7 steals. Morvosh was just shy of scoring in double figures at 9.9 points, while adding 4.1 boards per game. Pawlikowsky, who opted to play tennis at the University of Pitt-Greensburg, was also a valuable component of the team’s success.

In their absence, senior Olivia Cernuto was expected to shoulder the burden, but a knee injury suffered during soccer has sidelined her for the season. Cernuto, the daughter of head coach Amber Cernuto, has signed to continue on the hardwood next year at Edinboro University.

Subsequently, senior forward Maddie Moore is the most accomplished returner, as she averaged approximately 7 points and five rebounds last campaign. Standing 6-foot-1, Moore has garnered college interest, but has yet to make a commitment.

The rest of the roster will be largely unproven, although a few players seem poised to handle more prominent roles. Senior guards Reagan Carson and Lilly Wasmund, and junior guard Bea Pawlikowsky are among those who will be counted on to provide production this year. Wasmund garnered headlines in 2021 when she scored a touchdown for the Southmoreland football team.

Although Southmoreland won the section with a mark of 11-1 a year ago, the outlook has changed this year. The Scotties, Elizabeth Forward, Belle Vernon Area, and West Mifflin, all of which made the playoffs, remain in Class 4A Section 3. Meanwhile, the bottom three teams have exited, while Laurel Highlands, Uniontown Area, and Ringgold all enter after dropping from 5A.

Even though Southmoreland is no longer the favorite, the Scotties have established several goals, including their pursuit of section supremacy, according to head coach Amber Cernuto.

“We look at our goals to first win our first home game, second make playoffs, and third win a section title,” she said.

The Scotties have already checked off one of those goals, as they edged Yough 38-35 in the season opener at home. However, Southmoreland was overmatched in a 40-point road loss to Thomas Jefferson earlier this week.