Girls Hoops - Southmoreland vs South Park

February 10, 2020

Perfect! Southmoreland Girls Cap Undefeated Regular Season by Beating South Park 66-25

For most of the basketball games on the schedule on Monday, February 10, the truth is there was nothing at stake. Section champions and playoff qualifiers had already been decided. Therefore, the non-conference slate of games on the last night of the regular season would generally serve as either a tune-up before the payoffs begin, or a last opportunity for seniors to suit up and play one more game for their dear old school.

But on the southern edge of Westmoreland County, in the village of Alverton, the Southmoreland girls squad had more than a casual interest in the game they were about to play. They would host South Park in a game where the outcome would determine whether the Lady Scotties would finish the regular season with an unblemished record, and be one of only three WPIAL teams to finish undefeated. Minutes after the game tipped off at 7:30 PM, there was little doubt that the Scotties would complete their mission with ease, as they rolled over the South Park Eagles 66-25.

Southmoreland corralled the opening tip and four seconds later Gracie Spadaro was laying up the Scotties first deuce of the game. It was the beginning of a 19-0 run in which 5:15 would tick off the clock before the Lady Eagles scored their first field goal. Having broken the ice, South Park went on a 7-0 mini-run before a Scotties field goal made the score 21-7 after one quarter.

It didn't get any easier for South Park in the second quarter. Southmoreland went on a quick 10-0 run to open the quarter before the Eagles could score again, and the Scotties added 10 more before halftime, taking a 41-13 lead to intermission.

If the game wasn't already out of reach for South Park, Southmoreland put it completely out of sight in the third. Another 20-point quarter, led by Erika Sherbondy's three 3-pointers and capped by Sarah Pisula's 3-pointer as the third quarter horn sounded, and the 61-17 margin ensured that the final quarter would be played on a constantly running game clock.

With Southmoreland giving everyone remaining on their bench playing time in the fourth, South Park outscored the Scotties 8-5, but it didn't matter. Southmoreland claimed the 66-25 win, and the team celebrated their 22nd victory of the season against no losses by cutting down the net on their home court.

Southmoreland was led by Olivia Cernuto and Gracie Spadaro, both with 16 points, and Erika Sherbondy added 11. All 13 Scotties players got their name in the official scorebook for having played in the history-making game. Kierra Moelbar was South Park's leading scorer with 7.

Both teams will now wait to find out their seeding and opponent in the WPIAL playoffs, which begin this weekend. Southmoreland (22-0, 14-0) will play in the Class 4A bracket, while South Park (14-8, 12-2) will compete in the Class 3A bracket.

Follow this link for a full gallery of action photos from this game, available for purchase or sharing.

Keywords: basketball, girls, high school, south park, southmoreland, westmoreland county