Westmoreland County athletes of the week: GCC’s Ryan Appleby, Southmoreland’s Delaynie Morvosh

By: Andrew John
Saturday, February 26, 2022 | 3:43 PM

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Ryan Appleby

School: Greensburg Central Catholic

Sport: Basketball

Class: Senior

Claim to fame: Appleby, who’s averaging 12 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2 assists this season, finished with 20 points to lead No. 4 Greensburg Central Catholic (18-3) to a 61-42 win over No. 5 Monessen (18-5) in the WPIAL Class 2A quarterfinals Friday at Norwin. The Centurions advanced to face No. 1 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (21-0) in the semifinals Tuesday at Gateway.

“As a whole, our team has turned into a defensive team. Last night, we started off slow but we picked it up. I think it was a team effort last night,” Appleby said.

What are your college plans for next season?

I will attend Seton Hill to study dental medicine. In the basketball sense, I’m not sure yet if I will play.

What was the team’s mindset heading into the game against Monessen, which had a 16-game winning streak?

We knew they were going to play an extended 1-1-1-2 so we needed to figure out a way to beat their zone. On defense, they couldn’t shoot the ball so we had to pack it in for our zone.

What does the team need to do to beat No. 1 OLSH in the semifinals?

Focus on stopping Jake DiMichele, who’s their top scorer. We need to be focused when the ball goes up. Our defense will need to be like it was in the third and fourth quarter during the whole game.

What does the size of your team do to your opponents?

We are big so we have the inside threat, but we have a lot of guys who can shoot. The size helps with rebounding, getting out and scoring.

What do you want to be remembered for when you graduate?

I wanted to be remembered as the guy who made the extra pass. I also want to be remembered as a team player and not worried about how many points I put up.

Delaynie Morvosh

School: Southmoreland

Sport: Basketball

Class: Senior

Claim to fame: Morvosh, who’s averaging 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals this season, scored 11 points for No. 2 Southmoreland (18-3) to a 50-24 win over No. 7 Highlands (19-5) in the quarterfinals of the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs Friday at Southmoreland. The Scotties will face No. 3 Knoch (20-2) in the semifinals on Tuesday at Gateway.

“Last night was a nerve-wracking game for us since we’re expected to go very far. I put in my head that I have to score to help Gracie and Livia score. It will only help us go super far,” Morvosh said.

What are your plans for next year?

I have a job lined up at my mom’s salon. If I have the right offer to play basketball or volleyball, I would go for some business degree.

What’s the team’s mindset heading into your matchup against Knoch?

It’s a pretty good matchup between each other. If we play the way we’ve been this year and play together, it will go our way.

What’s it like to play alongside Gracie Spadaro and Olivia Cernuto?

Honestly, we’ve been playing together since third grade. We know if one of us is going left or right so we work really well together as a whole.

Where did your nickname “D” or “Diesel” come from?

My sister started that when I was younger and it spread to the basketball team. Now everyone calls me that.

What’s your favorite thing about being defensive-minded?

Personally, I love playing defense. Stealing the ball and making the player you’re playing not score is a really good feeling. Defense wins championship.

Tags: Greensburg C.C., Southmoreland