CLARION — Just 30 seconds into the second half, the Moniteau boys basketball team had trimmed the Redbank Valley lead to 27-20 and had all the momentum.

Then a scoring drought hit the Warriors.

An epic one.

Moniteau (10-14) scored just seven points in the final 15:30 of the second half and went nearly 11 minutes without notching a point in a 49-27 loss to the Bulldogs in the District 9 Class AA semifinals at Tippin Gym Tuesday night.

“We couldn’t sustain anything all night, really,” said Moniteau coach Jerrod Markle. “We couldn’t consistently get stops and we couldn’t consistently score.”

Moniteau trailed 25-11 with a little more than two minutes remaining in the first half, but went on a 9-2 run that carried into the first minute of the third quarter.

Redbank Valley, though, didn’t panic.

Instead, the Bulldogs (19-5) methodically went to work on both ends of the floor, frustrating Moniteau at every turn.

“I was happy that we came out and controlled a game,” said Redbank Valley coach Greg Bean. “We really haven’t done that much. We attacked the basket, got their bigs in foul trouble, which I knew we could do.”

Bean also said he knew Moniteau wouldn’t go down quietly.

“We made some adjustments at halftime and I guess they went in one ear and out through the other side,” Bean said. “I called time out and said, ‘They are playing for their lives and they are going to punch us in the mouth.’ And I thought we responded to that very well.”

The Bulldogs will play for the Class AA title Saturday at Clarion University against Cranberry.

No matter what happens in that game, Redbank Valley is in the state playoffs for the first time since 1991.

“It was kind of neat, our reaction,” Bean said. “I kind of kept it quiet that the state was taking two teams (from D9, Class AA) this year. Our guys didn’t know that until two minutes to go when I pulled them and said that clinched us a state berth.”

Moniteau was hoping to continue its improbable playoff march.

After a slow 3-8 start, the Warriors entered the playoffs with a 9-13 mark.

Moniteau had won three of its last four, including an upset win over Port Allegany in the first round of the playoffs.

“It’s good for the younger kids,” Markle said. “We had a lot of seniors. The league had a lot of seniors across the board, so I think it’ll be a lot different next year. No one likes to lose at the end, but someone has to. We were at the wrong end of it tonight.”

Moniteau shot just 11-of-48 (22.9 percent) from the floor and was just 2-of-6 from the free throw line.

Meanwhile, Redbank Valley shot 47.5 percent from the field and had three players in double digits, led by Jake Dougherty with 16.

James Bair was the only Warriors’ player to score in double figures with 12.

MONITEAU 27

Aaron Marterella 1-7 0-1 2, Cody Skiver 1-11 0-3 2, James Bair 5-13 2-2 12, Jake Fullerton 0-0 0-0 0, JJ Waid 2-7 0-0 4, Derek Boben 1-5 0-0 3, Zack Jewart 0-2 0-0 0, Shawn Giddings 0-0 0-0 0, Brantlee Alexander 0-0 0-0 0, Dalton Anderson 1-1 0-0 2, Lake Pry 0-0 0-0 0, Jake Jewart 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 11-48 2-6 27.

REDBANK VALLEY 49

Devin Shumaker 4-10 4-4 12, Sam Heeter 3-7 0-0 6, Jake Dougherty 7-14 2-2 16, Zach Westover 3-5 4-10 10, Dalton Dougherty 1-3 0-0 2, Kaleb Reed 1-1 0-0 2, Greg Nolph 0-0 0-0 0, Bracken Scott 0-0 0-0 0, Austin Hawk 0-0 0-0 0, Jarrett Bailey 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 19-40 10-16 49.

Moniteau 4 12 7 4 — 27

Redbank Valley10 17 8 14 — 49

3-point goals: Moniteau 3 (Bair, Waid, Boben); Redbank Valley 1 (J. Dougherty)