Karns City is heading back to the District 9 girls basketball final after defense smothers Moniteau in semis
RIMERSBURG — Karns City’s offense and ball handling appeared a bit sluggish early Wednesday night after an 11-day break.
Its defense showed up right on time.
The Gremlins limited Moniteau to nine field goals overall and only eight points in the second half as No. 1 Karns City (23-2) rolled to a 43-23 District 9 Class 3A girls basketball semifinal victory at Union High School.
The win was KC’s 15th in a row. The opposition has been held to fewer than 30 points in 11 of those wins. The Gremlins are allowing an average of 27 points per game.
“We haven’t played in so long, and we couldn’t find anyone to scrimmage. That may have contributed to our slow start,” KC coach Steve Andreassi said. “But the girls are very serious about our defense. It’s who we are, and they take pride in it. We’re in the locker room at halftime, and they were upset we gave up 15 points.
“They said there’s no way they (Moniteau) were scoring 30.”
Karns City will face No. 2 Cranberry in the district title game at 11 a.m. Saturday at Clarion University.
“Cranberry has an excellent point guard, a good big girl inside, two guards that can shoot the ball ... They’ll be a challenge for us,” Andreassi said.
The fourth-seeded Warriors (10-12) proved to be a challenge for the Gremlins early in their semifinal. A pair of Naomi Venesky free throws gave KC a 9-7 lead late in the first quarter.
KC used a 7-0 run to build a nine-point advantage early in the second period and led 24-15 at halftime.
“It took us a while to get our groove on tonight,” Venesky said. “Moniteau played us tougher and we were turning the ball over. In a way, that’s good, though, because the physicality tonight helps prepare us for Saturday.”
“We jumped on them early in our first two games with them, led 28-7 at halftime last time,” Andreassi said. “We came out in the third quarter with a full-court man-to-man press, and that helped a lot.”
The Gremlins scored the first 10 points of the second half and did not allow Moniteau to score until only 28 seconds remained in the third period. Emily Matz stole a pass and drove the other way for a layup to end Moniteau’s drought.
“We’ve seen that press before. Sometimes we handled it, sometimes we didn’t,” Moniteau coach Dee Arblaster said. “Tonight was more our fault. We forced too many passes that weren’t there.”
Venesky led Karns City with 16 points, nine rebounds and three steals. Alivia Farren scored 10 points — sinking two 3-pointers in the first half — Hanna Dailey had six assists and four rebounds. Taylor Ritzert had four steals.
“I hope we’re not taking her too much for granted,” Andreassi said of Venesky. “We look up and she’s always there making a play. We rely on her a lot, but this is a team game. Alivia hit some big shots, Hanna and Taylor made plays. Everyone has to play a part.”
Alyssa Thompson had six points and three steals for Moniteau. Charlotte Thompson scored six points, as well.
“We couldn’t get much going offensively,” Arblaster said. “But I didn’t like the way they (KC) were allowed to be physical and we weren’t. It was that kind of game. I don’t think we got our share of calls that way and I have a problem with that.”
Venesky is looking forward to more practice and more improvement.
“We’ve been in the gym since June,” she said. “Practicing hard and putting in all that work makes a difference in February.”
MONITEAU 23
Gracie Hartle 2-3 0-0 4, Maddy Eury 1-8 2-2 5, Annalyce Baptiste 0-0 0-0 0, Alyssa Thompson 2-8 1-2 6, Sayge Brunst 0-2 0-0 0, Emily Matz 1-5 0-2 2, Charlotte Thompson 3-8 0-0 6. Totals: 9-34 3-8 23.
KARNS CITY 43
Naomi Venesky 5-8 6-9 16, Hannah Summerville 3-5 2-2 8, Alivia Farren 4-7 0-0 10, Hanna Dailey 1-4 1-4 3, Taylor Ritzert 2-3 1-2 5, Audrey Heginbotham 0-0 0-2 0, Madison Mahood 0-2 1-2 1. Totals: 15-29 11-21 43.
Moniteau 7 8 3 5 — 23
Karns City 9 15 10 9 — 43
3-point goals: Moniteau 2 (Eury, A.Thompson), Karns City 2 (Farren 2)
Saturday: District 9 Class 3A championship: Karns City vs. Cranberry at Clarion University, 11 a.m.
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Moniteau’s Madalynn Eury (3) shoots a 3-pointer against Karns City in a District 9 Class 3A girls basketball semifinal game Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at Union High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City defeated Moniteau 43-23 in a District 9 Class 3A girls basketball semifinal game Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at Union High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City defeated Moniteau 43-23 in a District 9 Class 3A girls basketball semifinal game Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at Union High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau’s Gracie Hartle (1) passes the ball over Karns City’s Taylor Ritzert (21) in a District 9 Class 3A girls basketball semifinal game Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at Union High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City’s Alivia Farren (5) shoots over Moniteau’s Madalynn Eury (3) in a District 9 Class 3A girls basketball semifinal game Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at Union High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City’s Hannah Summerville (3) dribbles the ball around Moniteau’s Alyssa Thompson (15) in a District 9 Class 3A girls basketball semifinal game Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at Union High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City’s Naomi Venesky (1) shoots the ball against Moniteau in a District 9 Class 3A girls basketball semifinal game Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at Union High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City’s Hanna Dailey (13) and Moniteau’s Madalynn Eury (3) battle over a loose ball in a District 9 Class 3A girls basketball semifinal game Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at Union High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City’s Hanna Dailey (13) shoots the ball in a District 9 Class 3A girls basketball semifinal game Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at Union High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau’s Charlotte Thompson (33), left, Emily Matz (25) middle, and Karns City’s Hannah Summerville (3) battle for a loose ball in a District 9 Class 3A girls basketball semifinal game Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at Union High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City defeated Moniteau 43-23 in a District 9 Class 3A girls basketball semifinal game Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at Union High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City defeated Moniteau 43-23 in a District 9 Class 3A girls basketball semifinal game Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at Union High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City defeated Moniteau 43-23 in a District 9 Class 3A girls basketball semifinal game Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at Union High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City defeated Moniteau 43-23 in a District 9 Class 3A girls basketball semifinal game Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at Union High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City defeated Moniteau 43-23 in a District 9 Class 3A girls basketball semifinal game Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at Union High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau’s Alyssa Thompson (15) shoots the ball against Karns City in a District 9 Class 3A girls basketball semifinal game Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at Union High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City defeated Moniteau 43-23 in a District 9 Class 3A girls basketball semifinal game Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at Union High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City defeated Moniteau 43-23 in a District 9 Class 3A girls basketball semifinal game Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at Union High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City defeated Moniteau 43-23 in a District 9 Class 3A girls basketball semifinal game Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at Union High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City defeated Moniteau 43-23 in a District 9 Class 3A girls basketball semifinal game Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at Union High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City defeated Moniteau 43-23 in a District 9 Class 3A girls basketball semifinal game Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at Union High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City defeated Moniteau 43-23 in a District 9 Class 3A girls basketball semifinal game Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at Union High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City defeated Moniteau 43-23 in a District 9 Class 3A girls basketball semifinal game Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at Union High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City defeated Moniteau 43-23 in a District 9 Class 3A girls basketball semifinal game Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at Union High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City defeated Moniteau 43-23 in a District 9 Class 3A girls basketball semifinal game Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at Union High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City defeated Moniteau 43-23 in a District 9 Class 3A girls basketball semifinal game Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at Union High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau’s Emily Matz (25) shoots the ball over Karns City’s defense in a District 9 Class 3A girls basketball semifinal game Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at Union High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City defeated Moniteau 43-23 in a District 9 Class 3A girls basketball semifinal game Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at Union High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City defeated Moniteau 43-23 in a District 9 Class 3A girls basketball semifinal game Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at Union High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Karns City defeated Moniteau 43-23 in a District 9 Class 3A girls basketball semifinal game Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at Union High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
