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Matisi’s new team tops his old one
By Steve Wilaj
BEAVER TOWNSHIP
Before any words were — or perhaps could be — said, first-year South Range High girls coach Tony Matisi just shook his head, chuckled and let out a great sigh of relief.
It was just moments after a 55-29 victory Monday against Lowellville — his former team — and, quite frankly, he was glad the reunion was over.
“It’s been a rough week,” he finally said.
Matisi coached the Rockets for the previous 15 years, piling up numerous victories and accolades along the way. As he found out, those good times can linger.
“A lot of great memories down there,” Matisi said. “It’s a great opportunity here, but it was rough, it was rough. Once the game started, though, everything was gone and you just play ball.”
The Raiders dominated from the outset, jumping out to a 31-17 halftime lead before pulling away in the fourth quarter. They were led by Morgan Czopur and Sara Durr, who each scored 13 points.
Matisi said the adjustment has been smooth for one major reason.
“The girls made it so easy,” he said. “They’ve accepted me coming in here and changing things up. They made the transition very easy.”
South Range didn’t make things easy on the Rockets, forcing 25 turnovers. Czopur said the girls are embracing defense under Matisi.
“He’s a good coach and we like him a lot,” she said. “We like his plays and we’re running new defenses and offenses — things we didn’t know, but we’re learning.”
First-year Rockets head coach Wendell Wagnon knows a thing or two about learning from Matisi. He coached under him for the past 11 seasons.
Wagnon admitted it was odd seeing his former boss in red.
“I learned a lot,” Wagnon said. “Him and I are close friends. He’s taught me a lot about the whole game and he’s obviously very knowledgeable.”
The Rockets struggled without a couple of their main players out with injuries. Allison Wereb had nine points and Samantha Chiclowe had eight.
“We’ve got to improve on our turnovers and ballhandling,” Wagnon said. “Taking care of the ball. That’s our biggest problem right now. Just too many turnovers.”
Meanwhile, even off to a hot start and experiencing a smoother-than-expected transition, Matisi knows his team also must improve.
“We’re preaching all defense and transition as much as we can,” he said. “When we do get stopped, we need to sure up our half-court offense. Right now we’re a little impatient.”