HERMITAGE — Sedona Campbell was so nervous the day before the Slippery Rock High girls basketball team was set to open the District 10 Class AAA playoffs, her knees were knocking.

“She was. Big time,” said Slippery Rock senior forward Nicole Papley of Campbell, a freshman. “She’s in the locker room before every game, shaking her knees. But you’d never know it with the way she went out there (Saturday). She was on fire. I don’t think I could be any more proud of her.”

Campbell didn’t show any of those jitters in scoring 19 points to go with 12 rebounds as the Rockets won their first playoff game since the 2009-10 season with a 49-30 triumph over Harbor Creek at Kennedy Catholic High School Saturday afternoon.

Campbell was dominant inside for Slippery Rock (17-4), scoring all 19 of her points in the first three quarters to stake her team to a commanding 39-22 lead after 24 minutes of play.

“It feels great,” Campbell said. “I just went in and got rebounds. The more rebounds I get, the more points I get. This meant a lot to me.”

It meant a lot to Papley and her fellow seniors, Riley McGonigle, Lauren Dietz, Becca Novak and the injured Haley Urben.

That group had never won a playoff game in their careers.

The Rockets were knocked out in the first round the last two years.

“Oh my gosh, it feels awesome,” said Papley, who added 17 points in the win. “We are no longer labeled as a one-and-done team.”

Slippery Rock got this win by grinding out Harbor Creek.

After the Rockets took the lead midway through the first quarter, they never gave it up again and took an 11-point advantage into halftime.

After a rocky start to the third quarter, Slippery Rock coach John Tabisz, back on the bench this season after a 10-year hiatus, took a timeout to calm his troops.

It worked.

“Poise,” Papley said. “That’s really all he said.”

Slippery Rock showed that, extending the lead to 17 and then to 22 at one point in the fourth quarter before both teams emptied the benches.

Tabisz was particularly proud of the way his younger players performed, namely Campbell as well as freshmen Jenna Whitmer and Bailey Boyd.

“Sedona set the tone,” Tabisz said. “She played tremendous.”

Marissa Siebka also had a big game on defense.

The sophomore collected seven steals and hounded Harbor Creek’s Theresa Fachetti all game, holding the Huskies’ star to just eight points and only four free throw attempts.

Fachetti came into the game with more than 150 trips to the foul line this season for Harbor Creek (15-8).

“I thought Marissa’s defensive job on (Fachetti) was incredible,” Tabisz said. “Everything goes through (Fachetti) and Marissa had her flustered. We asked her to guard smart and she did.”

Now Slippery Rock is guaranteed at least two more games.

The first will be a big test as the Rockets will face No. 1 seed Villa Maria at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Meadville High School.

Should the Rockets lose, they will still have a chance to make the state playoffs with a win in a consolation game.

A win, though, and Slippery Rock will be playing for a D-10 title.

“We got this playoff game and everyone is saying, ‘Well, now you have to play Villa,’” Tabisz said. “But having to play Villa means we won this game and I’ll take that.”

Papley is ready for the challenge knowing that few expect Slippery Rock to win.

“It’s just motivation,” Papley said. “A lot of people didn’t expect us to win (Saturday), either. We just have to use it.”

HARBOR CREEK 30

Madeline Carnell 2-5 0-4 4, Monica Warner 1-4 0-0 2, Tiffany Taccone 3-6 0-0 6, Maggue Lawrence 2-5 0-0 5, Theresa Fachetti 3-7 2-4 8, Courtney Tate 0-0 0-0 0, Khloe Kienholz 0-1 0-0 0, Ryleigh Oldach 0-1 0-0 0, Abigail Sallot 0-0 0-1 0, Amanda Stenger 2-2 0-1 4, Makenzie Kertulis 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 13-30 2-10 30.

SLIPPERY ROCK 49

Marissa Siebka 1-7 0-0 2, Lauren Dietz 0-4 0-0 0, Riley McGonigle 3-5 1-2 7, Sedona Campbell 8-12 3-5 19, Nicole Papley 8-18 0-0 17, Jenna Whitmer 1-3 0-0 2, Alicia Bertozzi 0-1 0-0 0, Bailey Boyd 0-0 0-0 0, Jocelyn Guy 1-1 0-0 2, Stephanie Croll 0-0 0-0 0, Becca Novak 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 22-51 4-7 49.

Harbor Creek 8 8 6 8 — 30

Slippery Rock12 15 12 10 — 49

3-point goals: Harbor Creek 2 (Carnell, Lawrence); Slippery Rock 1 (Papley)

Wednesday: Slippery Rock vs. Villa Maria at Meadville High School, 8 p.m.