SLIPPERY ROCK — Grove City hung tough, but Slippery Rock was just too much.

Morgan Siebka scored a game-high 17 points, Haley Angerett added 15 and the Rockets held off the Eagles for a 49-41 Region 5 victory Thursday night at Slippery Rock High School.

In the opening minutes, it didn't look like it would be much of a contest.

Slippery Rock (8-2, 4-1) went on a 9-2 run to start the game with seven of those points coming from Siebka.

However, the Eagles (7-5, 2-3) didn't allow the deficit to spiral out of control and managed to stay competitive throughout.

Slippery Rock coach Christin Miller was happy to see her team claim the crucial Region 5 win and wasn't surprised to see the Eagles keep fighting.

“Grove City is always a huge game,” said Miller. “It's our equivalent to the backyard brawl ... it's always going to be a good game. Grove City played really, really hard.”

The Eagles never led, committed 19 turnovers and shot just 25 percent from the field. But hustle and a 16-for-22 performance from the foul line kept the game within reach.

“We're young and that's what shows.” said Grove City coach T.L. Eller. “They showed a lot of character and that they just don't quit and they keep coming back.”

The Rockets kept running away, though.

Slippery Rock took a 33-24 cushion into halftime and extended the advantage with another strong showing coming out of the locker room in the third quarter.

The Rockets began the second half on a 10-2 surge with the help of a pair of 3-pointers from Angerett on back-to-back possessions.

“They stepped up early in the first half and again in the second half,” said Miller. “It was the game changer right there. If we wouldn't have had those quick starts, that fourth quarter would have been a whole different ballgame.”

A steal and layup from Siebka, along with a hoop from Nicole Papley capped the run and gave Slippery Rock a comfortable 17-point lead with about two minutes left in the third.

The Eagles didn't let the Rockets relax.

Grove City buckled down on defense and allowed just three points in the fourth quarter. The Eagles cut the gap to 47-39, but wouldn't get any closer.

Eller was encouraged by her team's resolve, but hopes the Eagles can begin games with more success in the future.

“We're slow starters. We know that, we talk about it all the time,” said Eller. “I think maybe because I don't have a Morgan Siebka to kind of get us going.”

Siebka's 17 points came on 6-of-13 shooting. The junior also had a game-high six steals and tied for a team-high seven rebounds.

Miller enjoys having Siebka on her side, but the coach believed Riley McGonigle — who had five steals — might have had just as much impact on the winning result.

“Riley McGonigle, in my mind, really should get player of the game,” said Miller. “She took No. 24 (Brogan Foster) completely out of the game for Grove City and she's one of their leading scorers.”

Papley — nine points and seven boards — and fellow sophomores Haley Urban and Lauren Dietz provided depth for the Rockets, as both teams struggled with foul trouble.

“I had some great sophomores step up off the bench today,” said Miller. “They really came in and played some quality minutes.”

Arianna Sprando and Corianne Hyduchak led the Eagles with 11 points apiece, while Hailey Hall added nine. Jen Ferguson tallied eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

GROVE CITY 41Hailey Hall 1-9 6-8 9, Corianne Hyduchak 4-17 3-4 11, Brogan Foster 0-5 0-0 0, Jen Ferguson 3-5 2-3 8, Arianna Sprando 4-8 3-5 11, Jordyn Wyllie 0-3 2-2 2, Danyelle Lucido 0-1 0-0 0.

Totals: 12-48 16-22 41.

SLIPPERY ROCK 49Morgan Siebka 6-13 4-6 17, Haley Angerett 6-16 1-3 15, Anna Cessar 0-1 0-0 0, Emily Campbell 0-3 0-0 0, Riley McGonigle 1-5 1-5 3, Ellie Shaw 1-2 0-0 2, Nicole Papley 4-7 0-0 9, Haley Urban 0-1 0-0 0, Lauren Dietz 1-1 1-4 3.

Totals: 19-49 7-18 49.

Grove City 8 16 7 10—41Slippery Rock 16 17 13 3—493-point goals: Grove City 1-8 (Hall 1-5, Foster 0-3); Slippery Rock 4-16 (Angerett 2-8, Siebka 1-3, Papley 1-3, Cessar 0-1, Urban 0-1).

JV score: Slippery Rock 51, Grove City 25.

Monday: Grove City at Northwestern

Tuesday: Slippery Rock at Sharpsville