Southmoreland girls basketball acing chemistry test

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, December 1, 2018 | 11:54 PM

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The Southmoreland girls basketball team is going to use a mix of experienced upperclassmen and an influx of freshmen this season.

Coach Brian Pritts has worked with the team in the summer and fall and said there’s a certain underrated aspect of their game that could take the program to the next level.

Effective communication, a positive attitude and good conditioning have been points of emphasis.

“We’re focusing on talking effectively to one another so we can be our best offensively and defensively,” he said. “We also are coming in to every practice having a good, positive attitude even in times of adversity.

“They’ve taken to heart the conditioning aspect and are pushing themselves and showing they are up to the task.”

Senior Maggie Moore, a Naval Academy recruit, will be a leader for a starting group made of mostly juniors. Sarah Pisula, Charity Henderson, Erika Sherbondy and Carlie Collins also are pegged to start.

Moore and Pisula are proven athletic forwards whose success will be predicated on the play of the guards and their ability to allow them to be physical down low.

Pritts said the team’s selflessness makes this group easy to root for.

“They’re learning to play for one another, which is what you want to be a successful team,” Pritts said. “You need talent. … but you also need chemistry. The fact that all these girls like each other and get along is very important.”

Pritts said he expects his three talented freshmen — Gracie Spadaro, Delaynie Morvash and Bailey Kuhns — to have an immediate impact.

“They’re a special group,” he said. “We had a really, really, really good summer with all these girls getting together on the floor.

“They spent two years being undefeated in middle school, so they have that winning mindset.”

Pritts and Moore agreed defense will be the key.

“Defense is so important because it’ll lead to our offense and hopefully lead to easy transition points, so we want to start there first and then focus on our offense,” Moore said. “I just want us all to be involved: rebounding, blocking shots, hustling and getting after it so then we can get into our offense.”

The last thing on Pritts’ mind at this point is the postseason.

“We’ve been close the last few years of being a win or two away in close games and just missed out,” he said. “In the back of all of our minds, I think we’re very close, but it’s not something we’re really talking about.

“We’ll let things settle where they are, and if we focus on us and do our best, at the end of the season I think things will work out.”

Brian Graham is a freelance writer.

Tags: Southmoreland