SLIPPERY ROCK — The last time the Grove City High School basketball team lost a game, the Steelers hadn't secured a playoff spot, Santa hadn't come yet and Bode Miller hadn't become a big-time Olympic bust.

But, like all things, even winning streaks come to an end, and the Eagles' 22-game victory romp ended at the most inopportune time in a 56-54 defeat at the hands of General McLane in the District 10 Class AAA semifinals at Morrow Field House Tuesday night.

"Maybe that's just the motivating factor to get us where we want to be," said Grove City coach Don Fee.

The last time the Eagles lost was Dec. 10. The next one will be their last.

Grove City (23-3) will play in the consolation game against Erie Strong Vincent, a 64-56 loser to Franklin in the other semifinal game, at a date, time and site to be determined.

The winner of that game moves on to the PIAA playoffs. The loser gets a long off-season to ponder what might have been.

The Eagles will only get a few days to ponder what might have been following their loss to General McLane (19-3).

Neither team was able to stretch out much of a lead. The Lancers' biggest lead was seven points; Grove City's biggest advantage was three points.

The biggest shot of the game came off the right hand of McLane's Ben Swank, who made a twisting jump shot in the paint with 7.5 seconds left to give the Lancers the lead for good.

Grove City point guard Jordan Fee dribbled to the Lancers' free throw line before bobbling the ball. He punched it out to Ryan King, who launched a 3-pointer that missed long to end the game.

"We got what we wanted," Don Fee said. "It just didn't fall."

Shots that didn't fall plagued Grove City.

The Eagles entered the contest shooting at a crisp 51 percent from the floor this season. They left Slippery Rock University Tuesday shooting just 44 percent.

"That was kind of the story tonight," Don Fee said. "We had a lot of great looks, but they didn't go in. They just rattled in and out."

The woes were particularly pronounced in the first half, when the Eagles hit only 8 of 23 from the floor.

"Boy, every year it seems like we have a war," said General McLane coach Andy Schulz. "We just pulled one more play out of the bag than they did."

The Lancers came into the game with five players averaging double digits. Shawn Walker paced them with 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Chris Orr added 11, Drew Astorino 10 and Bob Stauffer and Swank nine.

Walker sat out all of the second quarter because of foul trouble, but the Eagles weren't able to take advantage of that.

"That was the key," Schulz said. "I was going to sit him until we got down by four or five points and then send him back in, but that never happened."

Jordan Fee led Grove City with 15 points and King added 13.

Grove City now will have to follow the same path its upcoming opponent, Strong Vincent, took last year.

Strong Vincent lost in the semifinals last year and had to win a consolation game to get into the state playoffs. Once there, it advanced all the way to the PIAA semifinals.

"I told them there is no reason we can't be where Strong Vincent was last year," Don Fee said. "Our district is probably the toughest in the western half of the state."

GENERAL McLANE 56

Ben Swank 4-8 0-0 9, Chris Orr 4-9 1-1 11, Bob Stauffer 4-7 1-2 9, Drew Astorino 3-9 4-4 10, Kelley Ponsoll 0-1 0-0 0, Dan Skelton 0-0 0-0 0, Shawn Walker 8-11 1-1 17. Totals: 22-45 7-8 56

GROVE CITY 54

Ryan King 6-13 1-1 13, Nate Thomas 0-0 0-0 0, Justin McNamara 2-3 2-2 6, Joe Hazy 3-5 0-0 9, Ben Liebling 1-4 2-2 4, Dan Keil 1-3 2-2 4, Jordan Fee 5-11 4-5 15, Dustin Van Hook 1-4 1-2 3. Totals: 19-43 12-14 54

3-point goals:

Swank, Orr 2, Hazy 3, Fee