Southmoreland boys run record to 10-0 with convincing win over Ringgold

By: Liam Belan
Friday, December 29, 2023 | 9:49 PM

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Southmoreland boys basketball coach Frank Muccino is known as a harsh critic of his team’s performances, but there wasn’t much to be frustrated with during a 67-38 victory over Ringgold in the Charleroi Holiday Classic on Friday evening.

The Scotties (10-0) finished the tournament at 3-0 with the other wins coming against South Park and East Allegheny.

“We were a little sluggish the first two days (of the tournament), and I didn’t think we played that well,” Muccino said. “Sometimes, the holiday break can do that to you because the kids’ patterns are off. They’re sleeping all day and getting up late. … Tonight, I thought we played well. We tried to get out early with the press and get the kids moving, and it worked in our favor. We didn’t hit a lot of shots early, but they started falling eventually and it snowballed from there.”

On the other side, there was a lot to be frustrated about for Ringgold (3-7) coach Shane Bertovich. The Rams struggled to get into a rhythm on the offensive end as they scored 17 of their 38 points in the final quarter of the game against Southmoreland’s reserves.

“For some reason, we couldn’t run anything,” Bertovich said. “It’s like we had a brain freeze. We tried to run three different offenses, but we didn’t run any of it. Then we tried to run a fourth offense, and they were running it wrong. … I don’t know, there was definitely some inexperience that played a part, but it seemed like a brain freeze all around.”

It was all Southmoreland all the way, as the Scotties scored the first points of the contest and never relinquished the lead. Wyatt Richter poured in 10 first-quarter points, and Ronald Collins scored seven of his nine points in the opening quarter to help push the Scotties to a 21-9 lead.

Ringgold’s Daryl Tolliver opened his account at the end of the first quarter and tried to help the Rams in the second quarter, but the Scotties continued to dominate.

Southmoreland opened up a 34-14 lead with less than three minutes remaining in the first half before the first points from leading scorer Ty Keffer. Keffer took a backseat when it came to scoring, finishing with six points, but he provided six assists and proved his versatility.

“(Ty) shares the ball a lot,” Muccino said. “Everyone looks at his scoring, but he’s a good provider. He’s always shared the ball. One of his best attributes is his vision. On the defensive end as well, he’s really picked it up this year.”

He helped give Southmoreland a 40-16 lead going into halftime. In the third quarter, the Scotties held the Rams to just five points while five Southmoreland players combined to put up 17 points.

Chris Wilson, the leading scorer for the Rams with 12 points, four of his points in the final quarter as his team outscored the Scotties 17-10.

“We’ll take it,” Muccino said about the 10-0 record. “We’re moving into section play, and it’s a brutal schedule. Every game is going to be a dogfight. We’re going to get up tomorrow and practice to get ready for Belle Vernon on Wednesday.”

As for Ringgold, Bertovich is hoping to see more energy from his squad moving forward. He said the Rams need to have that edge to compete.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” he said. “We’ll go back and figure out what we need to fix. But we have to come out and play with energy every time out. We’re not talented enough to come out like we did. If we don’t come out with that energy, we don’t have a chance.”

Tags: Ringgold, Southmoreland