SLIPPERY ROCK — The Slippery Rock High girls basketball team was determined to get its mojo back.

Consider it returned.

The Rockets shook off a sluggish start and rolled in the second half on the way to a 76-33 senior night win over visiting Grove City on senior night.

On Friday, Slippery Rock suffered its first region loss, a 13-point home setback against Sharon.

The Rockets looked befuddled and rusty in that contest.

But against the struggling Eagles, Slippery Rock showed the form that helped it scorch its way through most of the season.

"We started clicking in the second half and became the team we expected to be," said Slippery Rock coach Adrienne Orris. "It was really important for us to just feel that again."

It took a while to get that feeling back.

Grove City (10-10, 4-9) trailed by four points late in the first half, but Slippery Rock outscored the Eagles 10-2 over the final two minutes of the second quarter.

That was the beginning of things to come.

Slippery Rock (18-2, 12-1) opened a 20-point lead midway through the third quarter and led by 30 points just seconds into the fourth.

Six minutes later, the lead was 41.

Senior guard Kourtney Rhoads hit seven 3-pointers for Slippery Rock on the way to 25 points to lead all scorers.

Karly Rhoads had 20 points and another senior, Sarah Cessar, had 12 points.

All six Slippery Rock seniors, Karly and Kourtney Rhoads, Cessar, Ali Doyle, Adele Campbell and Taylor Crocker, were announced in the starting lineup.

Orris also said she played her seniors longer than she typically would during a rout.

"It was senior night. We were here to celebrate what our seniors had accomplished," Orris said.

Grove City coach T.L. Eller also played all six of her seniors extensively.

"I feel kind of bad," Eller said. "I feel like maybe I sacrificed our pride for that. But I'm going to play my kids. I have some seniors who haven't played a whole lot this season, and I put them in, and they beat us by 40. That's just the way it is."

The difference was the Slippery Rock defense. The Rockets clamped down on the Eagles, caused many mistakes and held Grove City to 13 points and four field goals in the second half.

"(The Rockets) are just so long and so athletic," Eller said. "You are constantly second guessing. It's not that they did anything to cause it. They are just there and longer and taller, and you hesitate for a second and it's over.

"Certainly, (Slippery Rock is) a great team," Eller added. "I really hope to see them make a long run in the state playoffs, because they should."

Senior forward Sammi Bell paced Grove City with 11 points. Senior guard Caitlin McNamara added nine points and senior point guard Lexi Caporali had eight for the Eagles, who are out of the playoff race but still have lots to play for in their final two games.

"We have a chance to have a winning season for the first time," Eller said. "That's important to us."

GROVE CITY 33Caitlin McNamara 3-14 3-5 9, Sammi Bell 5-10 1-2 11, Lexi Caporali 3-6 1-2 8, Kynisha Basham 1-5 0-1 2, Mariah Jenkins 0-0 0-0 0, Danielle Johnson 0-0 0-0 0, Brogan Foster 0-1 1-2 1, Vanessa Sprando 0-1 0-0 0, Cassidy Udy 0-0 0-0 0, Rachel Kurtz 0-1 0-0 0, Kennedy Young 0-0 0-0 0, Blake Bucian 0-0 0-0 0.

Totals: 13-40 6-12 33.

SLIPPERY ROCK 76Karly Rhoads 6-12 6-8 20, Ali Doyle 0-6 0-0 0, Kourtney Rhoads 9-14 0-1 25, Adele Campbell 1-6 4-8 6, Sarah Cessar 3-6 4-4 12, Taylor Crocker 2-3 0-0 5, Morgan Siebka 0-0 0-0 0, Molly Weitzel 0-0 0-0 0, Ellie Shaw 1-1 0-0 2, Jackie Basta 0-1 0-0 0.

Totals: 24-59 16-25 76.

Grove City 9 11 5 8—33Slippery Rock 14 18 21 23—763-point goals: Grove City 1 (Caporali); Slippery Rock 12 (Ka. Rhoads 2, Ko. Rhoads 7, Cessar 2, Crocker).

Thursday: Slippery Rock at Hickory; Titusville at Grove City