GROVE CITY — Riley McGonigle finds the nail-biting moments the most exhilarating.

“That's part of the fun of basketball,” said McGonigle, a senior guard for the Slippery Rock High girls basketball team, flashing a wide grin. “Feeling that pressure at the end of the game.”

There was plenty of anxiety to go around in the Grove City gym Thursday night. Neither the Eagles nor the Rockets led by more than five points in a key Region 5-AAA game that was dominated by staunch defense.

It was a final defensive play — made by McGonigle and the Rockets — that preserved a 33-32 win for Slippery Rock.

Hailey Hall drove the lane for Grove City with the Eagles down by a point in the waning seconds, but her wild running shot missed. Slippery Rock freshman Jenna Whitmer pulled down the rebound and dribbled out of trouble as the horn sounded.

“It wasn't pretty,” said Slippery Rock coach John Tabisz. “They played well. They guarded us. They didn't let us get into our sets a lot of times. You take the win on the road.

“This is Grove City-Slippery Rock,” Tabisz added. “I knew it would be close because they would guard us.”

Grove City prides itself on defense and did everything it needed to do on that end of the floor to win.

Slippery Rock, though, played well on defense in its own right, especially on the Eagles' final possessions with a chance to take the lead and win the game.

“Our match-up zone ... helped us a lot,” Tabisz said. “We just need to iron out a few wrinkles in it.”

Grove City (7-5, 2-2) started out well, taking a 6-3 lead midway through the first quarter. It was the Eagles' biggest lead of the game.

Slippery Rock (8-2, 4-1) battled back and took an 8-6 lead moments later. The Rockets never trailed again.

“We knew it would be a hard, defensive battle,” said Grove City coach T.L. Eller. “We knew there wasn't going to be a lot of points on the board. We did what we needed to do. We just came up short.”

Nicole Papley led Slippery Rock with 16 points, including three huge 3-pointers that helped keep the Eagles at arm's length.

Brenna Deyarmin came off the bench to score 12 points to lead Grove City, which has lost two region games this week, both by a point.

The Eagles fell to Franklin 45-44 Monday.

“The big thing is, just one of those wins puts you in such a different playoff situation,” said Eller, whose team is now in fourth place in the region. “I just tell the girls you are doing what you need to do. You are good enough to beat these teams, we just have to learn from it and get better. This group of girls is extremely committed. We haven't had a girl miss one practice. They're doing what they need to do, and we have to feel good about that.”

The unsung hero in this win for Slippery Rock was McGonigle, who handled well all the pressure Grove City put on her.

She also scored five points and added five rebounds, four coming on offense.

“She's just so smart,” Tabisz said. “She sees things. What she did, she hit a shot at a critical time and made a pass when we had a two-point lead that led to a layup. Those are the things that are unbelievable. She's just like a coach on the floor. I love having her. I wouldn't want to coach against her.”

McGonigle likes the pressure. She also likes playing in big games.

“There's a lot of expectations going into a Grove City game because of the rivalry,” McGonigle said. “It's going to be loud in the gym and intense and very physical. Everyone is really excited to be able to come out of this with a win.”

Slippery Rock has now won five in a row. The Rockets' two losses have come against teams that are a combined 22-0 this season.

“A win like that,” McGonigle said. “It adds to the momentum that we have built.”

SLIPPERY ROCK 33

Marissa Siebka 2-11 1-3 5, Lauren Dietz 0-0 0-0 0, Riley McGonigle 2-3 1-1 5, Sedona Campbell 2-3 0-0 4, Nicole Papley 5-12 3-4 16, Jenna Whitmer 1-4 0-0 3, Bailey Boyd 0-0 0-0 0, Alicia Bertozzi 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 12-33 5-8 33.

GROVE CITY 32

Hailey Hall 0-3 0-0 0, Corianne Hyduchak 3-6 0-0 6, Jenn Ferguson 1-5 1-1 3, Arianna Sprando 0-1 1-2 1, Jordyn Wyllie 1-3 2-2 4, Danyelle Lucido 0-3 0-0 0, Alexis Deyarmin 3-6 0-0 6, Brenna Deyarmin 5-10 2-2 12, Catie Jaskowak 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 13-37 6-7 32.

Slippery Rock 10 6 10 7 — 33

Grove City6 6 11 9 — 32

3-point goals: Slippery Rock 4 (Papley 3, Whitmer)

JV: Grove City 39-22 (GC: Rachel Hughes 8; SR: Campbell 7)

Today: Grove City at Titusville

Saturday: Greenville at Slippery Rock