JEFFERSON TWP — Slippery Rock High boys basketball coach Phil Bushre wants to bottle it.

Knoch coach Ron McNabb wants to forget it — as quickly as possible.

It was that kind of night for both teams as Slippery Rock used a stifling defense to hold Knoch to just 13 points through three quarters on the way to a 49-29 road win Friday night.

“Our kids are just very coachable,” Bushre said. “They're tough kids. A lot of these guys are football players, and I'm starting to see that now on the basketball court. We are senior-led, and we have a lot of nice guys coming off the bench who do what we ask them to do, both offensively and defensively.”

For McNabb, this one will be quickly stuffed into the round file.

Knoch shot a meager 6-of-38 from the field in the first three quarters and shot 24 percent in the game.

The Knights were shut out in the third quarter.

“We need to put it behind us,” McNabb said. “We have section play coming up with some tough games against Burrell, Mars and Freeport. Hopefully this will open some eyes up and these kids will work even hard than they have been.”

Knoch has not shot well in the last three games, McNabb said.

“We need to put in a little extra time shooting,” McNabb said. “The last three games we have shot the ball extremely poorly.”

Slippery Rock had something to do with that Friday night.

The Rockets have played solid defense all season and turned in their best effort against Knoch.

Slippery Rock jumped out to an 8-0 lead, was up 30-13 at the half and 44-13 after three quarters.

Knoch had an 11-minute scoreless stretch at one point.

Meanwhile, Slippery Rock point guard Jake Whitmer was in complete command — on both ends of the floor.

The Rockets' senior point guard scored a game-high 14 points, was 6-for-6 at the free throw line, handled the ball well and smartly, had several assists and took three charges on defense.

“He is a complete player,” Bushre said of Whitmer. “What he says, he does, defensively and offensively. As much as he can score, he can find guys, too. He's great to coach.”

Brady Kadlubek and Ryan Dutton each added 11 points for the Rockets. Cam Neal also had a solid game for Slippery Rock with eight points and double-digit rebounds.

“Cam does all the things that aren't going to show up in the box score,” Bushre said. “He brings a physical presence and all the little things. You almost have to break it down on film to see all the little things he does.”

Matt Zanella led Knoch (6-4) with eight points, six coming in the fourth quarter. Jackson McKee added six as he and Zanella were the only two Knights' players to make more than one shot from the field.

Despite the loss, McNabb isn't hitting the panic button.

“We're going to keep working,” McNabb said. “I know these kids are tough and they're strong mentally. We have to get our confidence back.

“At 10:15 (a.m. Saturday), we're getting ready for Burrell,” McNabb added. “We can't dwell on this.”

SLIPPERY ROCK 49

Jake Whitmer 4-5 6-6 14, Brady Kadlubek 4-10 2-2 11, Mark Cessar 0-3 0-0 0, Ryan Dutton 5-11 1-2 11, Cam Neal 4-6 0-0 8, Nate Popejoy 1-1 1-2 3, John Marks 1-3 0-0 2, Chase Allen 0-0 0-0 0, Zac McCue 0-1 0-0 0, Josh Bowser 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 19-40 10-12 49.

KNOCH 29

Aiden Albert 1-4 0-1 2, Troy Hixson 1-2 0-0 2, Matt Zanella 4-10 0-0 8, Mac Christy 0-8 0-0 0, Austin Hannes 1-10 0-0 2, Devin Campbell 1-4 0-0 3, Jackson McKee 3-9 0-0 6, PJ Gourley 1-4 1-4 3, Josh Knochel 1-3 0-0 3. Totals: 13-54 1-5 29.

Slippery Rock 11 19 14 5 — 49

Knoch2 11 0 16 — 29

3-point goals: Slippery Rock 1 (Kadlubek); Knoch 2 (Campbell, Knochel)

Tuesday: Oil City at Slippery Rock; Burrell at Knoch