KARNS CITY - Alyssa Deal was cold from the field. Natalie DeMatteis was slowed by a sore quadriceps and foul trouble. And their team committed 19 turnovers.

It didn't matter.

Despite some ominous statistics, the Moniteau girls basketball team went on a 9-2 run in the final two minutes to eke out a 55-48 road win at Karns City Tuesday night.

"Every game we win is going to be like this one," said Moniteau coach Mark Yeager. "We're not the most talented team, but the girls are scrappy and they work hard."

The Warriors (2-3) used a frenetic, in-your-face style to fluster the Gremlins (3-3) at times early in the game.

But when Karns City was able to break the Moniteau press, it was successful.

After falling behind by eight points midway through the second quarter, Karns City stormed back with an 8-0 run to tie the game heading into halftime.

"We were trying to funnel them to the sidelines," Yeager said. "We weren't rotating well at all."

Moniteau wasn't shooting well, either.

Deal was just 4-of-17 from the floor, a symptom of a bigger shooting disease as the Warriors hit on just 30 percent of their shots.

But Deal was 4-for-4 from the free throw line down the stretch to help secure the victory. The junior guard finished with 12 points.

The Warriors spent much of the game trying to set screens for Deal with mixed results.

"Our offensive execution was horrible," Yeager said. "Part of it might be Karns City. They always play good defense. I'm not ecstatic about this win."

DeMatteis, who spent most of the game on the bench with foul trouble and a sore leg, came up with the biggest points down the stretch.

She drove the lane twice for layups with the Warriors clinging to a slim lead, scoring five of her nine points in the final two minutes.

"DeMatteis took the ball to the hoop twice, and that really hurt us," said Karns City coach Chris Bellis. "They made a couple of key plays down the stretch and we didn't."

Moniteau also dominated the boards.

The Warriors' Kristen Baronetski had a slew of offensive rebounds and finished with a game-high 18 points.

"A lot of her points were on put-backs off of offensive rebounds," Bellis said.

It was also a very physical game. There were 23 jump balls and the teams combined to shoot 53 free throws.

That's the Warriors' style.

What dismayed Bellis more than the loss was how his team played.

"Moniteau outhustled us," he said.

Morgan Summerville paced Karns City with 13 points and Haley Callihan added 11.

The Moniteau-Karns City game always has been a Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference rivalry. Tuesday's game had the intensity of a league game, even though technically it wasn't.

When the Warriors and Gremlins meet again Feb. 4, that game will count in the league standings.

Bellis doesn't care that this one didn't count.

"I think you want to come out and play harder than the other team, whether it counts or not," Bellis said. "It shows we need to improve on a few things."

MONITEAU 55

Kristen Baronetski 7-18 4-10 18, Jenna Beatty 1-4 0-0 2, Amy Gladd 5-10 1-4 11, Alyssa Deal 4-17 4-4 12, Jodie Davis 0-1 1-2 1, Sara Vinca 1-4 0-0 2, Natalie DeMatteis 3-6 3-4 9, Laken Burk 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 21-61 13-24 55

KARNS CITY 48

Allyson Kepple 2-8 1-2 5, Laura Kepple 0-3 0-0 0, Brittany Green 0-3 5-6 5, Haley Callihan 2-9 7-9 11, Kaitlyn Weibel 0-3 3-4 3, Ashley Fuhrer 0-2 0-0 0, Morgan Summerville 5-13 2-4 13, Mallory Craig 1-3 1-2 3, Brianna Markle 3-6 2-2 8. Totals: 13-50 21-29 48

3-point goals:

Summerville

JV:

Karns City 28-23

Friday: Karns City @ Keystone; Rocky Grove @ Moniteau