SLIPPERY ROCK — Elena McDermott's smile beams when she thinks about where the Slippery Rock High girls basketball team has come.

And where they are going.

“We've been playing since the fourth grade,” said McDermott, a senior guard for the Rockets. “All we've done to work to this, it just feels so good.”

Slippery Rock's defense took the sting out of the Hickory Hornet's depleted offense and McDermott provided some firepower with four 3-pointers as the Rockets cruised to a 39-17 win Wednesday in the District 10 5A semifinals at Slippery Rock University.

The Rockets will play Central Tech for the district crown Saturday at a site and time to be determined.

It's the first district title game appearance for Slippery Rock since 2010.

“We've been together just for so long, but we've had ACLs and other injuries,” McDermott said.

Senior guard Jenna Whitmer missed most of last season with an ACL tear. Senior center Sedona Campbell missed the season before that with her own knee injury and McDermott's younger sister, sophomore Emma McDermott, injured her knee earlier this year.

“Now we're all back together, except for my sister,” Elena McDermott added. “Now I'm really hoping we can pull it out.”

Slippery Rock had little trouble dispatching Hickory, which has been ravaged by its own injuries as late.

The Hornets were playing without 6-foot-2 forward Jordann Wilson and 5-8 Isabella DeJulia.

The Rockets shut out Hickory in the first quarter, jumped out to a 10-0 lead early in the second and led 20-6 at the half.

Slippery Rock (19-4) extended that lead to 35-10 at the end of the third.

It took Hickory 10 minutes to score its first points and it didn't crack double-digits until 3:52 remaining in the third quarter.

The Hornets (14-10) made just four field goals — three of them 3-pointers — all game.

“I didn't want them to have too much breathing room,” said Slippery Rock coach Amber Osborn. “I'm so proud of them. Everybody was on the same page. All in type of effort.”

McDermott finished with a game-high 12 points.

She didn't start, but she played a lot of minutes in the Rockets' rotation.

McDermott has come a long way in her high school career and has filled a valuable role for Slippery Rock this season.

“My freshman year, I didn't even start junior varsity,” McDermott said. “With the help of my coaches, my teammates, everything, I worked in the offseason and then I got here. I'm really happy. But I always want more.”

Osborn said she doesn't consider McDermott a sixth-man, but a sixth-starter.

“I'm really proud of her,” Osborn said. “She's started some. She'd be starting for any team. I feel like they all start for me.

“She was clutch tonight with the 3s,” Osborn added. “But I have to laugh at her last one because at the timeout I said we're not going to shoot anything but layups. She shoots a 3. I turned to (assistant) coach (Jim Dudas) and he said, 'Maybe that's a layup for her.'”

McDermott smiled when asked about her final 3-pointer.

“I should have listened to my coach,” she said. “I have to apologize to her for that.”

HICKORY 17

Jillian Greenburg 1-5 0-0 3, Marissa DeJulia 1-3 1-6 4, Hannah Crow 1-6 1-2 4, Jessica White 0-1 2-2 2, Carly Best 0-3 0-0 2, Alyson Davis 0-0 0-0 0, Reanna Daniels 0-0 0-0 0, Allison Sanford 0-0 2-2 2, Brodie Shaffer 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 4-21 6-12 17.

SLIPPERY ROCK 39

Jenna Whitmer 3-3 2-2 10, Bailey Boyd 2-3 1-2 4, Macy McCall 1-3 0-0 2, Steph Croll 1-3 1-2 4, Sedona Campbell 2-10 2-2 6, Elena McDermott 4-7 0-0 12, Hannah Willison 0-0 0-0 0, Jenna Heitzenrater 0-0 0-0 0, Julia Steele 0-2 0-0 0, Madison Hayes 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 13-31 6-8 39.

Hickory 0 6 4 7 — 17

Slippery Rock7 13 15 4 — 39

3-point goals: Hickory 3 (Greenburg, DeJulia, Crow); Slippery Rock 7 (Whitmer 2, Croll, McDermott 4)

Saturday: Slippery Rock vs. Central Tech in the District 10 5A championship game, site and time TBD