SLIPPERY ROCK — With a shot at a rare victory this season at stake, Slippery Rock High School boys basketball coach Randy Armagost knew what he wanted.

That was the basketball in Logan Croll's hands.

“He's our captain. He's our leader,” Armagost said.

And he came through.

Croll sank two free throws with 1.5 seconds left in overtime Saturday, handing the Rockets a 50-49 overtime victory at home against Moniteau.

Moniteau's Gage Neal had given the Warriors a 49-48 lead by sinking a free throw with 9.4 seconds remaining. Armagost called a timeout at that point.

“It really didn't matter if (Neal) made that free throw,” Armagost said. “If the score's still tied, I want Logan driving to the bucket. If we're down by a point, same thing.”

Croll had a rough day shooting from the field, hitting just three of 12 shots. He connected on all four of his free throws, however, sinking a pair in the fourth quarter as well.

The win was only the Rockets' second in 16 games this season.

“You can't think about the past close losses we've had,” Croll said. “This was a chance to win one right here and I was happy to make those shots for my team.

“You just go game by game, moment by moment. We were able to finish this one.”

The Rockets led from the middle of the first quarter until the final two minutes of regulation, though the margin was never more than eight points. Moniteau (10-6) pulled even at 41 when Evan McDeavitt stole the ball and drove in for a layup with 1:39 left.

Neither team scored again in regulation.

“I knew this would be a tough game for us, especially coming the day after a tough one Friday night,” Moniteau coach Mike Jewart said. “Slippery Rock's had a rough season and I'm sure they looked at us as a game they could win.

“Randy is a good coach and they were definitely ready to play.”

Judah Roth led Slippery Rock with 13 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Mitch Houston scored 12 points, including a rare four-point play in overtime that pulled his team within 46-45.

Houston sank a trey while being fouled, then converted the free throw. The 46-41 overtime edge was Moniteau's biggest lead of the game.

Neal led the Warriors with 21 points and added four assists. McDeavitt had 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

“Gage has been playing well for us and he's been hot lately,” Jewart said. “We set up a few plays for him today and they worked well. He had an outstanding game.

“Ethan does a lot of things for us. He plays hard and, like Gage, can drive to the basket. He's good for six or seven assists a game, it seems.”

Croll scored 10 points for Slippery Rock — only four in the first three quarters — but was Armagost's choice at the end.

The Rockets did not score a field goal in the fourth quarter, but sank seven of eight free throws.

“We're not a great foul shooting team, but Logan leads us at 71 percent,” Armagost said. “With nine seconds left, I wanted him taking it to the hole.

“He was either gonna make a layup or get fouled. I liked our chances there. Our effort has been there all season. We just couldn't finish. Today, we did. It feels good.”

Moniteau plays its thuird game in four days, hosting Brockway Monday night. Slippery Rock hosts Hickory Tuesday.

MONITEAU 49

Gage Neal 9-19 2-4 21, Bobby Mathews 3-4 2-2 8, Nate Tack 0-2 0-0 0, Noah McLean 1-3 0-0 2, Ethan McDeavitt 4-7 7-9 16, Jared Lominski 0-1 0-0 0, Tyler McFadden 0-3 2-4 2. Totals: 17-39 13-19 49.

SLIPPERY ROCK 50

Ryan Davis 1-3 0-0 2, Judah Roth 6-10 0-0 13, Ethan Plesakov 1-6 0-0 2, Jack Allen 0-1 5-8 5, Mitch Houston 4-6 2-4 12, Zack Thompson 2-6 2-2 6, Logan Croll 3-12 4-4 10. Totals: 17-44 13-18 50.

Moniteau 6 10 12 13 8 — 49

Slippery Rock10 9 15 7 9 — 50

3-point goals: Neal, McDeavitt; Roth, Houston 2

JV: Slippery Rock, 34-26 (M: Dean Hershey 8, Kyle Pry 8; SR: Alex Duffalo 14)

Monday: Brockway at Moniteau

Tuesday: Hickory at Slippery Rock