CHERRY TWP — Moniteau didn't shoot very well, but earned plenty of second chances.

The Warriors crashed the glass with authority, played pesky defense and claimed a 65-55 win over Cranberry Friday in a boys basketball matchup at Moniteau High School.

Kyle Armagost paced the Warriors with 20 points on 9-of-25 shooting. The senior added 12 rebounds, seven assists, five steals and a block.

Jonathon Loos and Ethan Pry also scored in double figures with 15 and 11 points, respectively.

Moniteau shot 27-for-64 (42.2 percent) from the floor and 3-of-10 from behind the arc. The Warriors were just 8-for-17 from the free-throw line.

“We passed the ball really well, moved the ball well, but shot the ball terribly,” said Moniteau coach Randy Armagost. “The way we moved the ball offensively, I was extremely happy. We just missed a lot of easy layups.”

The Warriors made up for it with a 39-30 advantage on the boards. Moniteau pulled down 14 offensive rebounds, leading to extra offensive opportunities.

“We knew coming in that they're physical and they hit the boards hard on the offensive end,” said Cranberry coach Patrick Irwin. “They just beat us up on the boards. They outhustled us.

“The second- and third-chance looks is what really beat us tonight.”

Defense was also a key to the Moniteau triumph.

Cranberry standout Ryan Willison managed 19 points, but the Warriors limited him to 29 percent shooting, including 2-of-13 from long distance.

“Their offense goes around him,” said Armagost. “We stayed in his face and made him work for it.”

With the Warriors (9-3) battling foul trouble, Coltan Cumberland drew defensive duties on Willison through much of the second half.

“Cumberland played tremendous defense,” said Armagost. “I thought he frustrated the heck out of (Willison).”

The Berries (6-6) challenged Moniteau early, but Andrew Armagost drilled a tie-breaking 3-pointer to give the Warriors an 11-8 edge. From that point on, Moniteau never trailed.

The first-quarter lead bloated to 18-10 when Kyle Armagost found a cutting Brayden McCorry for an easy hoop, but Willison ended the frame with three free throws to bring the Berries within 18-13 heading into the second quarter.

Cranberry hung tough, but Moniteau built an 11-point cushion by the midway point of the second and maintained a 10-point lead at halftime.

Armagost was particularly effective in the first half, with 13 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals in the first two quarters.

The Berries cut the deficit to 33-27 early in the third quarter, but Moniteau stretched the lead back to 46-36 by the end of the frame.

The Warriors extended their advantage to 63-45 in the fourth, but the Berries closed the contest on a 10-2 run.

“We never gave up,” said Irwin. “We had a couple of times when we could have packed it in, but they stuck with it and played until the end.”

Many of the Warriors have recently been hampered by illness, which has cut into practice time. The several KSAC-South games that await could help the team improve its consistency.

“I'm hoping in these last three weeks that we really put things together for the playoffs,” Armagost said. “We're doing well, but I know we can be better.”

CRANBERRY 55Caleb Carrow 1-2 0-0 3, Ryan Willison 7-24 3-3 19, Casey Spence 5-8 0-1 10, Evan Fowler 4-8 4-5 13, Joseph Hart 3-4 1-1 7, Colton Cunningham 1-3 1-3 3, Ty Rex 0-1 0-1 0, Jacob Creighton 0-1 0-0 0.

Totals: 21-51 9-14 55.

MONITEAU 65Kyle Armagost 9-25 1-4 20, Ethan Pry 5-9 0-2 11, Andrew Armagost 2-8 0-0 5, Jonathon Loos 7-12 1-1 15, Joey Deal 2-4 0-0 4, Joe Holfelder 0-0 3-6 3, Brayden McCorry 2-5 0-0 4, Coltan Cumberland 0-1 3-4 3, James Bair 0-0 0-0 0, Cody Skiver 0-0 0-0 0.

Totals: 27-64 8-17 65.

Cranberry 13 10 13 19—55Moniteau 18 15 13 19—653-point goals: Cranberry 4-17 (Willison 2-13, Carrow 1-2, Fowler 1-2); Moniteau 3-10 (Pry 1-2, A. Armagost 1-2, K. Armagost 1-4, Loos 0-2).

JV Score: Moniteau 49, Cranberry 31

Wednesday: A-C Valley at Moniteau