CLARION — Don't ask coach Mark Yeager to explain it.

He can't.

After a week of uninspired performances in practice, Yeager's Moniteau girls basketball team throttled its second consecutive District 9 Class AA playoff opponent Tuesday night at Clarion University.

The Warriors (16-9) cruised to a 55-32 triumph over Cranberry in a game that wasn't that close.

When Yeager pulled his starters during a timeout with 4:57 remaining, Moniteau had a 50-18 lead. Cranberry had made only 6 of 35 shots from the floor and had 21 turnovers.

Last Friday, Moniteau drubbed Redbank Valley 62-40 in the first round of the playoffs. The Warriors' final regular season game was a 65-57 overtime win at Cranberry.

"I can't explain why this is happening, but I'm happy it is," Yeager said. "The difference is we're moving our feet defensively and contesting shots.

"We looked at the film from our game at Cranberry and we were standing around on defense. We had no movement at all. But that's not the way we're playing now."

Senior guard Alyssa Deal said playoff motivation is driving the team.

"We played good help defense tonight, doubling down when we have to," Deal said. "We're playing together and we know what's at stake.

"Kristin (Baronetski) and I have been talking about winning a district championship together since fourth grade. We grew up watching Michelle (Yeager) and Autumn (Kramer) win the (2001) district title. We want to be like them."

The District 9 Class AA championship will be at stake Friday night when Moniteau faces Karns City, a 47-42 winner over Brookville later Tuesday.

Karns City owns wins of 32-24 and 53-47 over the Warriors this season.

"We know we can play with them. It's just a mental thing," Yeager said.

Moniteau took no chance on losing Tuesday. After Cranberry scored on its first two possessions, the Berries (13-13) missed their next 15 shots and turned the ball over eight times before scoring again.

In the meantime, the Warriors moved out to a 13-4 lead with 6:49 left in the first half.

The Berries pulled within 15-10 midway through the quarter before Baronetski sank a layup, and Amanda Gladd canned a 3-pointer and scored a fast-break layup off a steal by Deal.

The score was 22-10 and Cranberry never got the deficit out of double figures from there. Moniteau outscored the Berries 17-3 in the third quarter and used a 15-0 run to build a 50-16 advantage.

"We couldn't make a basket tonight," Cranberry coach Chris Stefanini said. "At times we'd even get an open lane inside and couldn't lay it in.

"I thought our defense was OK in the first half, but they got to us in the third quarter. Moniteau has a high-powered offense. They just got on a roll."

Baronetski paced the Warriors with 20 points and nine rebounds. Deal added 14 points, including four treys.

"Kristin has been so consistent all year," Yeager said. "She's a 5-foot-7 kid who plays like she's 6-foot."

Jessica Jack scored 16 points for Cranberry while Kasey Morrow added 10.

Moniteau had a 33-31 edge in rebounding and had 14 turnovers to Cranberry's 24.

CRANBERRY 32

Ashley Ahrens 0-10 3-5 3, Maggie O'Neil 0-2 1-2 1, Chyanne Snuffstall 1-3 0-2 2, Jessica Jack 8-16 0-1 16, Samantha Stearns 0-2 0-0 0, Kasey Morrw 5-11 0-0 10. Totas: 14-44 4-10 32

MONITEAU 55

Amanda Gladd 2-8 0-0 5, Kristin Baronetski 8-11 4-5 20, Amy Gladd 1-2 1-2 3, Sam Kristufek 0-3 0-0 0, Alyssa Deal 5-11 0-0 14, Jodie Davis 0-0 0-0 0, Sara Vinca 2-2 0-4 4, Maura McCaslin 0-3 0-0 0, Ellie Hilliard 0-2 2-2 2, Kenzie Timblin 3-8 0-0 6, Kendra Potsubay 0-1 0-0 0, Alyssa Moore 0-1 0-0 0, Chelsea Say 0-0 1-2 1., Totals: 21-52 8-15 55

3-point goals:

Amanda Gladd, Deal 4

Friday:

District 9 Class AA championship: Moniteau vs. Karns City @ Clarion University, 6 p.m.