Southmoreland girls preview: Cernuto, Lady Scots look to rebound after tough season
Southmoreland girls basketball coach Amber Cernuto is continuing the rebuilding process after the Lady Scots dropped off last year with only two victories after winning three consecutive section titles.
Cernuto explained there are a lot of good athletes at Southmoreland, however there are only so many bodies to share.
“We were hoping to have a few more girls out playing basketball”, said Cernuto. “However, some made the decision not to come to basketball.”
She pointed out that not only did graduation take its toll, but volleyball and softball are on the upswing and some of the athletes that could help have decided to keep their focus there.
“We have girls that have the ability to play more than one sport, but they feel they need to put in more work there. Right now I have about 10 girls that really want to be out there and are working very hard to get better,” noted Cernuto.
Cernuto will rely on four seniors to carry the team: Gianna Probonish, Bea Pawlikowski, Sophie Slater and Lindsey Moore.
In addition to the seniors, the Lady Scots’ roster will have one junior, three sophomores and two freshmen. Cernuto said the girls are very busy and engaged in other school activities outside of basketball, but have worked to balance out their schedules.
Cernuto is excited about the group she has because they want to be better.
“The girls listen and have shown they want to learn the game,” said Cernuto. “Even during the water breaks, they are always asking questions on what they can do to be better. They are a very coachable group.”
Cernuto said one of the main things she is working to improve is their overall defense. She says teams would get on a roll against her squad and it was too much of a deficit to make up. She feels if the Lady Scots can meet their defensive goals, they can turn some of those losses into a few more wins.
Cernuto is also working to build up the youth league programs that can provide a good feeder system for the high school program.
Southmoreland will compete in a section with Belle Vernon, Elizabeth Forward, Laurel Highlands and Uniontown.
“We have work cut out for us,” Cernuto said. “The girls come to work every day. The seniors I have were a part of those section title teams so they have had a taste of winning. I think we will match up well with several teams in the section. We can only go up from here.”