KARNS CITY — LeeAnn Gibson found her seat on the bench an uncomfortable one.

Saddled with two fouls early, Gibson was reduced to the role of spectator as the Karns City girls basketball team struggled in the first half against feisty Moniteau.

The 5-foot-9 sophomore forward made up for her lost time in the second half.

Gibson scored 18 of her 20 points and grabbed 11 of her 15 rebounds in the final two quarters as the Gremlins outlasted the Warriors 70-56 in front of a raucous Karns City home crowd Tuesday night.

“It was real frustrating,” Gibson said. “I got some stupid fouls early. It's also tough for me watching people go past me for layups and not blocking the shot or stopping them.”

But Gibson had to play smart. While she was a little timid on defense because of her foul trouble, there was nothing bashful about her play on the offensive end.

“She can be dominant when she wants to be,” said Karns City coach Dave Kerschbaumer. “I told her, 'I don't think there is a big girl in this league who can match up with you.'”

There aren't many as athletic as Gibson, either. She showed that late when she out-ran four Moniteau players to a loose ball after she missed a free throw.

“That's why every coach in this school wants her to play on their team,” Kerschbaumer said. “She played volleyball and softball and everyone appreciates her athleticism.”

If not for Shanel Preston, Gibson's second-half dominance may not have mattered.

Preston scored 14 of her game-high 22 points in the first half — 10 in the first quarter — to help Karns City keep pace with Moniteau.

“I was ready. I was ready to win against Moniteau because, of course, they are our rival,” said Preston, whose team was coming off a win over Keystone 24 hours earlier that wrapped up the KSAC-South title. “Keystone was last night. Tonight was tonight. We had to focus on winning tonight.”

Preston also spent some uncomfortable minutes on the bench, not because of foul trouble, but because of tape trouble.

Preston tweaked an ankle against Keystone Monday and it was wrapped too tightly in the first half against Moniteau.

“It was frustrating because my foot went numb,” Preston said.

Gibson, who uncharacteristically missed a handful of layups and shot only 6-of-15 from the line, was thankful for her teammates.

Emily LoPresti added 15 points for the Gremlins.

“For me, I swear the basket had a lid on it,” Gibson said. “Luckily for Shanel and everyone else, it didn't. They all played hard.”

So did Moniteau (13-8, 5-4).

After falling behind 9-2 early, the Warriors stormed back, withstood a couple of Karns City runs, and led 32-31 at the half.

“I had two freshmen tonight score 10 apiece. Fontaine (Glenn) had one of the best games, individually, this season,” said Moniteau coach Matt Stebbins. “I'm so proud of my girls. This is a big confidence booster for them.”

Glenn finished with 17 points. Freshmen Alazia Greaves and Kristina DeMatteis each added 10 for the Warriors.

Moniteau was without junior forward Stephanie McCall.

When asked why McCall did not play, Stebbins said, “No comment on that.”

Even without one of their star players, the Warriors trailed by just three, 59-56, with three minutes remaining.

Karns City (20-1, 9-1) closed things out with 11 straight points.

“This was a much closer game that the final score indicates,” Stebbins said. “It was only a two- or one-possession game for most of the night. This was a tough place to play tonight. This group is a special group of kids and I hope we see (Karns City) again in the playoffs. It will be another epic matchup.”

MONITEAU 56

Fontaine Glenn 6-13 4-6 17, Alazia Greaves 4-7 2-3 10, Alycia Brehm 2-7 0-0 4, Emily Rider 2-8 2-2 7, Kristina DeMatteis 4-6 2-2 10, Maura Kimmel 3-3 2-2 8, Alyssa Dailey 0-0 0-0 0, Kelsey Ripley 0 0-0 0. Totals: 21-45 12-15 56.

KARNS CITY 70

Emily LoPresti 5-12 3-4 15, LeeAnn Gibson 7-16 6-15 20, Annie Hegedus 2-6 0-0 4, Emily Schumacher 1-4 1-2 3, Shanel Preston 10-19 0-1 22, Alyssa Gibson 0-2 404 4, Saydie Moore 1-1 0-0 2, LeErin Jones 0-0 0-0 0, Abby Wolfe 0-0 0-0 0, Clara Stoughton 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 26-60 14-26 70.

Moniteau 16 16 14 10 — 56

Karns City16 15 21 18 — 70

3-point goals: Moniteau 2 (Glenn, Rider); Karns City 4 (LoPresti 2, Preston 2)

JV: Karns City 43-34

Thursday: Redbank Valley at Moniteau

Friday: Karns City in KSAC championship game vs. Clarion, 7:30 p.m. at Tippin Gymnasium at Clarion University.