CHERRY TWP — It’s never too early in the season to see how a team can deal with adversity.

Moniteau coach Matt Stebbins liked what he saw Friday.

Redbank Valley went on a 13-0 run to take a 19-5 lead early in the second quarter only to see the Warriors answer with a 12-0 spurt and tie the game at halftime.

After seeing the Bulldogs take a one-point lead with 1:29 to play, Moniteau would sink four of eight free throws down the stretch and used three steals inside the final 40 seconds en route to a 50-47 KSAC victory.

“This was a playoff-atmosphere basketball,” Stebbins said. “And, for a young team overcoming everything was outstanding.”

Redbank Valley freshman guard Brooke Hinterliter gave the Warriors fits early as she tallied 15 first-half points, including the last eight points in that 13-0 run to give the Bulldogs the lead.

Moniteau nailed three consecutive 3-pointers — the first two by Emily Rider, the third by Alycia Brehm — to fuel the 12-point rally.

Redbank Valley (3-2) took a 25-20 lead before Stephanie McCall sank two free throws and Fontaine Glenn hit a 3-pointer, the latter with 14 seconds left to tie the game at 25.

“I thought we played as well as we could in the first half, but not so much in the second half,” said second-year Bulldogs coach Robin Martin. “We’ve got to be able to out-rebound teams. We’re one of the tallest teams in the league.”

Moniteau’s Ashley Brehm and Redbank’s Emma Kennemuth suffered through foul trouble in the first half as Brehm picked up her third with 1:43 left in the first quarter, but returned with 7:03 left in the second quarter.

Kennemuth picked up her third with 40 seconds left before halftime and her fourth two minutes into the third quarter.

Still, slowing down Hinterliter was going to be the key for the Warriors.

“We said at halftime, ‘Let’s let someone else beat us,’” Stebbins said. “We’re 4-2 with four straight wins. That’s big. (Redbank’s) a good ballclub.”

Moniteau held a 33-31 lead late in the third quarter before a 3-point play by Rider and a pair of layups by Glenn gave the Warriors a 40-31 lead with 6:38 remaining.

But the Bulldogs showed they are not the same team that went 0-22 a year ago, using a pair of 3-pointers sandwiched by a basket — all by Madison McClaine to trim the deficit to 40-39 with 3:53 to play.

Two free throws by Glenn and a lay-up by Rider made it a five-point lead, but two free throws by Erica Bowersox and a 3-point play by Hinterliter knotted the score at 44 with 2:45 to play.

After Stephanie McCall answered with a basket to give the Warriors the lead, Bowersox used another 3-point play to give the Bulldogs the lead with 1:29 to play.

Then, the Warriors’ defense took over.

Glenn sank a pair of free throws with 1:13 to play that gave the Warriors the lead for good. She also hit a pair with 20.2 seconds to play.

Rider, who recorded the third steal by the Warriors in the final 40 seconds, missed a pair of free throws with six seconds to play which gave the Bulldogs another chance. After knocking the ball away, they set up one final play from 60 yards away, but Alex Bell couldn’t get a shot off before the buzzer.

Hinterliter led all scorers with 20 points, but just five of those came in the second half.

“She’s got to get the ball in the final three minutes,” Martin said. “We didn’t have games to close out last year. Now, we have to do that.”

The Warriors had three players finish in double figures — 14 by Rider and 13 apiece by Glenn and Alycia Brehm while McCall chipped in with eight points.

“We’re starting to come together,” Stebbins said. “We’ve got great team chemistry. It was a very fun night to coach. (Redbank Valley) came to play and that’s what you want.”

REDBANK VALLEY 47

Alex Bell 1 1-2 3, Megan Bain 0 0-0 0, Cassie Fink 0 0-0 0, Emma Kennemuth 1 0-0 2, Madison McClaine 5 0-0 13, Kaelyn Gruver 0 0-0 0, Brooke Hinterliter 8 3-3 20, Becca Daugherty 0 0-0 0, Erica Bowersox 2 5-9 9. Totals: 17 9-14 47.

MONITEAU 50

Ashley Brehm 0 2-5 2, Fontaine Glenn 3 6-6 13, Emily Rider 5 1-3 14, Alycia Brehm 4 2-4 13, Stephanie McCall 3 2-3 8, Alyssa Dailey 0 0-0 0, Maura Kimmel 0 0-0 0, Maria Loos 0 0-0 0. Totals: 15 13-21 50.

Redbank Valley 10 15 6 16—47

Moniteau5 20 11 14—50

3-point goals: Redbank Valley 4 (McClaine 3, Hinterliter); Moniteau 7 (Rider 3, Al. Brehm 3, Glenn)

JV: Moniteau, 30-21

Saturday: Moniteau at Conneaut