Westmoreland boys basketball notebook: Southmoreland has knack for winning close games

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Thursday, January 2, 2025 | 3:32 PM

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Every team makes a run. Coaches and players say it all the time not because it’s cliché but because they see it happen on the court.

Southmoreland’s ability to weather opponents’ scoring runs has played a key role in the team winning eight of its first 10 games, coach Frank Muccino noted.

The Scotties (8-2) have scored just two more points than they have allowed (517-515) but are learning to win close games.

“The most common thread so far this season has been our toughness and the ability to keep playing through other teams’ runs and to stay composed,” Muccino said. “This group doesn’t change its demeanor or get rattled.”

Of their eight wins, seven have been decided by seven points or fewer.

The Scotties (1-0 in Section 4-3A), edged Ringgold, 60-58; South Park, 66-58; East Allegheny, 56-50 and 41-36; Greensburg Salem, 53-47; Charleroi, 52-45; and Eden Christian, 57-50.

Leading the way is junior point guard Noah Felentzer, who is averaging 23.2 points and has a pair of 30-point games. The Scotties have size and an edge to them.

“It’s been a collective effort,” Muccino said.

Southmoreland moved down from 4A to 3A and seems to be fitting in nicely.

Senior Elliot Premus (6-3) and Stanley Chapman (6-2), known more for their contributions in football, have been tenacious rebounders and have added bulk on the defensive end of the floor.

Juniors Ty Whoric and Brady Sherbondy (6-2) have answered the bell when their name has been called to help the offense, and the Scotties have been pleasantly surprised by the play of three young reserves in sophomore Breadon Geho and 6-2 freshmen Brock Pritts and Luke Stinnett.

Salvino second

Veteran coach Joe Salvino, the leading man at Belle Vernon, could one day be the leading man in WPIAL basketball coaching wins.

Belle Vernon’s 61-47 win over Keystone Oaks last weekend at the Deer Lakes holiday tournament was victory No. 730 for Salvino, who coached for more than three decades at Monessen and won 639 times.

The win moved Salvino into a tie with Ken Misiak for second place all time in the WPIAL. Misiak coached at Geibel.

The No. 1 spot belongs to North Catholic legend Don Graham, who won 801 games.

Salvino is in his 41^st season overall. This is his seventh season at Belle Vernon, where he has 91 wins.

Jeannette No. 1

There is a new No. 1 team in Class 2A.

Jeannette (9-0) leapfrogged rival Greensburg Central Catholic (9-1), moving up from No. 2 in this week’s TribLive HSSN rankings after GCC took its first loss, 63-49 against Hempfield.

GCC is No. 2 in the classification.

Monessen remained at No. 5 in Class A.

Latrobe wins tourney

Latrobe wanted to take a trip to Indiana to check out Hoosier Gym and the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.

But the Wildcats also made the trip west to play some basketball, and they came home with more than some random souvenirs.

They went 3-0 against teams from the Hoosier state at the Shenandoah Christmas Classic, winning the championship with wins against Indianapolis Lutheran, 53-36; Blackford, 66-56; and the host school, 56-50.

Senior guard Max Butler led the Wildcats (10-1) with 23, 20 and 20 points.

Junior Ian DeCerb had two double-figure games, with 13 and 16 points.

Larry Legend

Former Greensburg Salem standout guard Nolan Larry has Elizabeth Forward playing well.

Larry, who also starred at Washington & Jefferson, is in his third season as coach of the Warriors (8-2), who are in the No. 5 spot in the TribLive HSSN Class 4A rankings.

The team has won six games in a row. Their losses are to 3A No. 3 South Allegheny and 5A No. 4 Uniontown.

Larry coached Elizabeth Forward to a 63-44 win over his high school alma mater — and former coach, Paul Sapotichne — just before Christmas.

The Warriors also beat 6A Norwin and 5A Franklin Regional.

Larry’s father, Buck, has been his assistant since he took over the program in 2022.

Husenits finds groove

Hempfield junior Danny Husenits caught the attention of local fans at the Greensburg Salem Holiday Classic, particularly from his play against then-unbeaten Greensburg Central Catholic.

Hempfield won 63-49, as Husenits poured in 25 points, driving the lane and finishing while popping in three 3-pointers, one from NBA range.

“I have worked on my game in the offseason,” Husenits said. “I knew I would be more of a scorer this year. My teammates trust in me to take shots.”

Friday slate

Notable local games Friday as teams return to section play include: Mt. Lebanon (5-3, 1-1) at Norwin (5-5, 1-2), Latrobe (10-1, 2-1) at Penn-Trafford (4-4, 1-2), Laurel Highlands (3-7, 0-3) at Franklin Regional (4-6, 0-3), Elizabeth Forward (8-2, 2-0) at Belle Vernon (7-4, 2-1), Southmoreland (8-2, 1-0) at Ligonier Valley (6-4, 1-0) and Frazier (2-8, 0-3) at Jeannette (9-0, 3-0).

The winner of Laurel Highlands-Franklin Regional will get their first section win.

Penn-Trafford swept Latrobe last year so the Wildcats are looking for a turnaround.

Belle Vernon could get three starters back after they missed five games for disciplinary reasons.

Southmoreland will go for its sixth straight win. Ligonier Valley has only played twice at home (2-0).

Frazier is coached by Zach Keefer, an assistant football coach at Hempfield and the brother of Spartans head coach Nick Keefer.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Elizabeth Forward, Greensburg C.C., Greensburg Salem, Hempfield, Jeannette, Latrobe, Southmoreland