SLIPPERY ROCK — They play together, room together and are climbing the all-time charts of Slippery Rock University women's basketball together.

And they're proudly representing their high school league — the Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference — together.

Brooke Hinderliter, Madison Johnson and LeeAnn Gibson have turned into quite the trio at SRU.

“We were all rivals in high school and developed into great friends here,” said SRU forward LeeAnn Gibson, a Karns City graduate. “It's been so much fun being teammates with them and getting to know each other.

“We're proud of our league. There's a lot of good players in the KSAC. To have the chance for all three of us to be on the same college team is truly special.”

And all three seniors have made their mark on SRU basketball.

Gibson has scored 613 points and pulled down 469 rebounds at The Rock. She ranks eighth in the PSAC this season with 7.7 rebounds per game and needs 31 boards to become the seventh player in program history to reach at least 500 points and 500 rebounds.

Hinderliter, a guard and Redbank Valley graduate, ranks third on SRU's career scoring list with 1,596 points. She needs 99 points to pass Kory Fielitz for second on The Rock's all-time list, 165 to break Heather Kearney's program record of 1,760. She is averaging 19.1 points per game this year.

Johnson, a guard and Keystone graduate, has scored 794 points at SRU. A transfer from St. Francis University, she ranks eighth in career points among women players to transfer to The Rock.

“All three of these ladies have made their mark here and they are tremendous people as well,” SRU coach Bobby McGraw said. “We're talking grade point averages of 3.8, 4.0 in their respective majors.”

McGraw pointed to his team's upset win over No. 10 California, Pa., last year as an example of the trio's impact.

“Those three combined for 53 points and 25 rebounds that night — and we scored 61 as a team,” McGraw said. “That's what they mean to us.

“Is the KSAC an underrated league? No doubt about that. But it's a league I peruse very closely and I'll continue to do that.”

Hinderliter and Gibson played AAU basketball together in Indiana and have been friends for a few years.

“LeeAnn and I know each other well on the court,” Hinderliter said. “I feel like our skills complement each other's.

“I think the KSAC is overlooked by colleges, I really do. Just because they're small high schools doesn't mean they don't have good players. A lot of very good players in that league don't even get recruited.”

McGraw went after another one — North Clarion's Tori Obenrader — but she wound up at Gannon. Obenrader is averaging 18 points and eight rebounds this year for the Golden Knights.

“She's good friends with the other (KSAC) girls on our team.” McGraw said. “But I only had $5,000 left in recruiting budget and Gannon offered her $50,000. You can't get everybody, but we tried.”

Johnson said she transferred to SRU when St, Francis wasn't offering her major (safety management). She's been a standout for The Rock since arriving her sophomore year.

“I've loved it here,” she said. “It was a good opportunity to play and joining up with two girls I played against in high school was awesome.

“We used to battle each other hard in high school. I knew LeeAnn and Brooke and respected them both. The fact we're all roommates together shows how well we get along.”

McGraw described Gibson as “the toughest player I've ever coached. She's 5-8 and one of the best rebounders in this league.

“LeeAnn just gets after it. I still remember her in high school when her finger was bent the wrong way and she played despite it. That finger will never be the same. That girl is a warrior.”

Hinderliter has an outside chance at breaking Kearney's record despite playing only one postseason game in her career. SRU is 38-67 overall, 28-52 in PSAC play over the past four years.

“I'll let Brooke take 40 shots in our last game if that's what it takes to break that record,” McGraw said. “She deserves a shot at it.”

The Rock is only 3-12 in PSAC play this season and needs a strong push in the second half of the conference season to make the PSAC Tournament.

“We won't give up. Our goal is still to get in the tournament and find a way to win it. That's always been our mind-set,” Gibson said.