NEW WILMINGTON — Jence Rhoads has performed so many incredible feats on the basketball court that greatness has simply become expected of her.

But it's still fun to watch.

With time running out in the third quarter of Saturday's District 10 Class AAA girls title game against Sharon, Rhoads had the ball well beyond the top of the key.

Just before the buzzer, she put up a shot that banked off the glass and through the hoop to give Slippery Rock a 36-34 lead.

It wasn't the fact that the shot was taken a good six feet beyond the 3-point line or that a Sharon defender was right in front of her, but that the senior guard shot the ball with her left hand.

The trifecta sparked the Rockets, who never trailed again in a 51-39 win at Westminster College's Buzz Ridl Gymnasium.

"My right hand wasn't free," said Rhoads, who scored a game-high 27 points in the victory. "So, I just put the shot up with my left hand."

Slippery Rock will carry a 10-game winning streak into the PIAA Class AAA playoffs and will open the state tournament on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. against the Mars/Peabody winner at Slippery Rock University.

"It's amazing," said Rhoads, who even found time following the game to sign autographs and pose for pictures with a few of her fans. "We lost the title game last year and our soccer team also lost in the final. I guess the third time's a charm."

Her 3-point goal at the end of the third quarter was Rhoads' first field goal of the second half.

Sharon had turned a 25-17 deficit at halftime into a 34-33 lead late in the third quarter. Before Rhoads' desperate heave, the Tigers had outscored Slippery Rock 17-8 in the second half.

"I'm not surprised at all at her shot at the end of the third quarter," Rockets' coach Adrienne Orris said of Rhoads. "It's happened before where we just weren't playing well in the second half. It happened in the playoff game against Meadville. But every single time, Jence brings us out of it."

Slippery Rock rode the momentum to a 15-5 run in the fourth quarter, making the final minutes of the game a mere countdown to a district title for the Rockets and their fans.

"(Rhoads) hits the 3-pointer at the end of the third and then scores another basket 10 seconds into the fourth quarter," said Tigers' coach Gene Sarazen. "That's a five-point swing in just over 10 seconds. Sometimes teams can regroup. We didn't."

As important as Jence Rhoads' play was to the Rockets (18-9), the win was a total team effort.

Freshman forward Sarah Cessar started the game and added 12 points to Slippery Rock's cause.

The other starters included freshmen Karly Rhoads, Kourtney Rhoads and senior Emma Walter, a first-year starter.

But the Rockets managed the game well, committing just 13 turnovers while displaying great ball movement at crucial points in the game.

"At the start of the playoffs, I was asked how our inexperience was going to affect us," said Orris. "Well, I think our inexperience spoke for itself tonight."

The game was tied at eight following one quarter of play, but Jence Rhoads scored 11 points in the second quarter and the Rockets had the eight-point lead at intermission.

Brittany Csatlos led Sharon (22-5) with 14 points.

SHARON 39Brittany Csatlos 6 1-4 14, Nikki Odem 1 0-0 2, Aryn Christman 4 1-2 9, Cara Dolci 2 0-0 6, Katie Kelly 2 1-2 5, Candice Smith 1 1-2 3, Danielle Taylor 0 0-0 0. Totals: 16 4-10 39.

SLIPPERY ROCK 51Karly Rhoads 4 0-1 8, Jence Rhoads 10 6-6 27, Kourtney Rhoads 0 4-4 4, Sarah Cessar 6 0-0 12, Emma Walter 0 0-0 0, Jenna Rinker 0 0-0 0, Ali Doyle 0 0-0 0. Totals: 20 10-11 51.

Sharon 8 9 17 5—39Slippery Rock 8 17 11 15—513-point goals: Sharon 3 (Dolci 2, Csatlos); Slippery Rock (J. Rhoads)

Saturday: PIAA Class AAA first-round playoff — Slippery Rock vs. Mars/Peabody winner, 4:30 p.m. at Slippery Rock University