Rockets' run halted
BUTLER TWP — The end.
Over the course of four seasons and 106 games, the Slippery Rock High girls basketball team didn't allow itself to think about the end that eventually would come.
But there it was, displayed on the Rockets' somber faces following a 60-50 loss to Hopewell in the second round of the PIAA Class AAA playoffs at Butler High Wednesday night.
It was the end of a great run for Slippery Rock and the six seniors who made significant contributions for all four years of their careers.
It made coping with the loss even more difficult.
"We never talked about an end, because we never wanted our season to end," said Slippery Rock coach Adrienne Orris, choking back tears. "That's the point where we are at right now."
Slippery Rock (23-3) got to that point because of a smothering Hopewell defense that held the usually sharpshooting Rockets to a 32-percent night from the floor.
The Rockets fell behind by nine points midway through the first quarter, but he rallied to draw even at 18 six minutes later.
Slippery Rock, though, never had a lead and Hopewell opened the second half with a 10-0 run to push its advantage to 15 points.
The Vikings (27-1) led by as many as 22 in the fourth quarter before a Rockets rally to close the game simply ran out of time.
"We were extremely fortunate to have the lead at halftime," said Hopewell coach Jeff Homziak, whose team was outrebounded by a 2-to-1 margin in the first half, yet still led 30-25 at the break. "Once I talked to the kids at halftime and settled them down, we came out hot in the second half."
Slippery Rock didn't.
Orris kept waiting for a run, something the Rockets had done all season, but it didn't come until it was much too late.
"They got the run we expected to get (to start the second half)," Orris said. "Our run never came."
Senior guard Karly Rhoads recorded 16 points and 12 rebounds for Slippery Rock. Sophomore Bre Northcott came off the bench to score 13 points and senior Kourtney Rhoads added 12.
Hopewell guard Elise Farris, who hurt Slippery Rock in another 10-point win in December, blitzed the Rockets for 17 points. Freshman Shatori Walker-Kimbrough had 16 for the Vikings, who will take on Chartiers Valley in the next round Saturday.For Slippery Rock, a very long season is over for seniors Karly and Kourtney Rhoads, Ali Doyle, Sarah Cessar, Adele Campbell and Taylor Crocker.Orris and her team viewed the last three years as one continuous season. That's the luxury of having a team largely intact for that amount of time."These girls, as sophomores, made the district playoffs with no juniors or seniors on the team," Orris said. "That in and of itself is an accomplishment."In four years, the seniors posted a 77-29 record, won two District 10 championships and three PIAA playoff games.Karly and Kourtney Rhoads each scored more than 1,000 points in their careers and Cessar ended up with more than 800 points and 700 rebounds.Those accomplishments didn't matter much to the Rockets following the loss to Hopewell.Players wiped tears from their faces, hugged each other and were consoled by coaches and younger teammates.Orris said she didn't know when all her team accomplished would break through the melancholy."A team is more about the friends that you make and the bonds that you have," Orris said. "You don't forget those. "Even at the end.<B>SLIPPERY ROCK 50</B>Karly Rhoads 7-22 1-2 16, Ali Doyle 1-5 0-0 2, Kourtney Rhoads 5-17 0-0 12, Adele Campbell 2-7 0-2 5, Sarah Cessar 0-7 2-2 2, Bre Northcott 6-7 1-2 13, Morgan Siebka 0-0 0-0 0. <B>Totals:</B> 21-65 4-8 50.<B>HOPEWELL 60</B>Amanda Tocci 2-5 0-0 6, Elise Farris 6-13 5-11 17, Paige Alviani 4-13 0-1 11, Samantha Fisher 2-5 2-2 4, Shatori Walker-Kimbrough 6-9 4-4 16, Olivia Bonavita 0-1 0-0 0, Lindsey McKay 2-4 0-0 4. <B>Totals:</B> 22-50 11-18 60.<B>Slippery Rock 12 13 7 18—50Hopewell 16 14 18 12—603-point goals:</B> Slippery Rock 4 (Ko. Rhoads. Ka. Rhoads 2, Campbell); Hopewell 5 (Tocci 2, Alviani 3).
