SLIPPERY ROCK — On the long bus ride north to Erie for a game in mid-December, Slippery Rock High sophomore Hallie Raabe listened to a song on repeat.

“You Can’t Stop Me,” by Andy Mineo.

It’s a song buried deep on Raabe’s playlist. But for some inexplicable reason, the swing player for the Rockets’ basketball team kept it blasting in her headphones.

“I just kept thinking, ‘Why am I listening to this song?’” Raabe said. “I had a feeling I would do really well that day.”

Raabe certainly did, scoring 18 points and taking five charging calls in the Rockets’ 53-37 win over Erie that day.

She’s averaging 12.1 points per game this season for the balanced Rockets, who have three players averaging in double figures and another flirting with it.

“I went down to the locker room after the game thinking, ‘You know, this may be the best game I’ve ever played,’” Raabe said.

More importantly, her standout performance came while a slew of Division II college coaches were in attendance.

One of those coaches was Slippery Rock University’s Bobby McGraw.

The Rock’s women’s basketball coach had shown interest in Raabe already — Raabe’s brother, Colten, is a redshirt junior offensive lineman for SRU. But her play against Erie cemented his desire to bring her aboard in two-plus years.

He made an offer to Raabe through Slippery Rock High girls coach Amber Osborn.

Raabe jumped at it, verbally committing to The Rock.

“When I came out of the locker room, I saw my coach and parents talking,” Raabe said. “They always talk, but this was different — they were talking for a long time. I knew something was up. Then coach Osborn turned to me and smiled. She told me, ‘SRU just offered you a scholarship.’ I hugged my mom and starting crying. I thought, ‘Holy moly, this is real.’”

It had been Raabe’s goal since she first dribbled a basketball to play at the college level.

And Slippery Rock University was always what she called her “dream school.”

“Going and watching my brother’s games, all I ever thought was, ‘Man, I want to play here,’” Raabe said. ‘How awesome would it be to play here?’”

Raabe will get her chance.

It’s unusual for a player to commit to a school so early. For Raabe, though, the decision was a no-brainer.

It also made complete sense to Osborn, who had a similar path to SRU when she was in high school at Grove City.

Osborn played for four years with The Rock after a standout career as a point guard for the Eagles in the early 2000s.

“She reminded me a lot of myself,” Osborn said. “She’s close with her family as I was and still am with mine. Some kids want to go away from home, but I didn’t. I always thought if SRU offered me I was going to do there. When I was offered, I like thought about it for literally a day and then said yes.

For her, this will take a lot of the weight off her shoulders,” Osborn added. “She can focus on getting better and not worry about things.”

Osborn has been one of Raabe’s main champions.

Raabe, who carries the apt nickname of “Red” because of her auburn hair, was the team manager when she was in eighth grade and was always a mainstay in the gym.

“I told coach McGraw that Red has 50,000 stamps of approval from me,” Osborn said. “You’re never going to find another Red.”

SRU wasn’t the only school that was clamoring for Raabe.

Mercyshurt University also made Raabe an offer through Osborn.

Raabe’s teammate at Slippery Rock, senior Emma McDermott, will play for the Lakers next year.

Osborn said SRU is also interested in two other Rocket sophomores — point guard Anna Kadlubek and guard Maryann Ackerman.

“Once Emma signed, there was a little bit when we thought it would be cool if we all went to Mercyhurst,” Raabe said, chuckling. “But when SRU offered, it was too much of an amazing opportunity to pass up. It is going to be so strange playing against (Emma).”

Raabe, though, knows there is a lot of work to do in the two-plus years before she gets to go across the street to school at Slippery Rock University.

“It’s almost like going back to the beginning,” Raabe said. “This is where the work starts. I plan on being in the gym every day to get better. There’s no off time.”