Clock runs out on Moniteau in 47-45 Slippery Rock hoops win
CHERRY TWP — Aydan Jackson cradled the basketball in one arm and looked quizzically at the clock above.
The buzzer had merely permitted the Moniteau senior forward to collect a pass and begin to take a step before sounding and closing the book on a 47-45 Slippery Rock boys hoops win in the first-place contest of the Moniteau Christmas Tournament.
The inability to get a final shot off over a number of outstretched hands wasn’t fully on Jackson, nor classmate David Dessicino. Just a moment more might have completed a climb for the Warriors (4-4) and the strong efforts of Chason Delarosa-Rugg and Andrew Zepeda, who combined for 20 points in the final quarter Wednesday night.
“The last play, I didn’t have a timeout to call,” Moniteau coach Mike Jewart said. “Chason and Andrew knew what was going on — David Dessicino and Aydan did not. They must not have been aware of how much time was left.”
The Rockets (7-3) saw their lead swell to as many as 17 points — that being with 1:34 to play in the third — and the Warriors trailed by nine with 1:03 to play. A Zepeda bucket preceded a successful trip to the free throw line and a three-pointer for Delarosa-Rugg, cutting the deficit to just two.
Anderson Franco stretched it back to four points by sinking a pair of free throws with 16 seconds left, but Zepeda countered before the Warriors sent Slippery Rock’s Max Kovacik to the charity stripe with three ticks remaining.
Dessicino yanked down a second miss and moved the ball to half-court, then dished it off to Jackson on the right wing as the sand in the top half of the hourglass emptied.
“You don’t like to see a 17-point lead vanish in the fourth quarter, but I have complete confidence in our kids,” Rockets coach A.J. Motta said. “We talked in the huddles to focus, execute, and finish.”
A quick start gave way to a dozen-point Slippery Rock lead at the end of the first frame. The Rockets forced their hosts into five turnovers in that span and cashed the takeaways in for eight points.
“It was a lot of our focus,” Motta said. “We were just doing the things that we teach our kids to do. Things were clicking early. We were hitting some shots, we were getting out in transition a little bit, and really just kind of limiting what they’re good at.”
Slippery Rock used a 1-3-1 defensive set, which Jewart said his Warriors haven’t seen this year and likely won’t see during the remainder of the schedule. The early doldrums are something he’d like not to encounter again, either.
“Sooner or later, we’re going to wake up and realize that we’ve got to play the first half,” Jewart said. “We get down 18 to Clarion-Limestone, we get down 27 to Karns City. Down, what, 17 tonight before we decide we’re going to start playing.”
The Rockets’ Josh Book led all scorers with 18 points and added seven rebounds and three steals. Levi Prementine followed with 12 points, three steals, and two assists.
“We’re here for a reason,” Motta said. “We want to get better. ... The exciting thing is we learned through a win. For us, at the end of the day, that’s important.”
Delarosa-Rugg had 16 points, three assists, and three rebounds for Moniteau. Zepeda, a sophomore, had 15 points and three rebounds. Their coach hopes that his squad, which starts four seniors, will pull it together going forward.
“There’s expectations there — and with expectations, there’s a target,” Jewart said. “You’ve got to be ready for each team’s best shot from the get-go every night. It doesn’t get easier for us.”
Slippery Rock’s Max Kovacik was named as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player following the contest.
Union 53, Sharpsville 42
In the first half of the double-header, the Knights’ Trey Fleming bucketed seven points, ripped down a rebound, and notched a steal — all in just over a minute — in the fourth quarter of the consolation game, putting the Blue Devils (1-8) away for good.
Fleming, a senior, boosted Union (5-5) to a 14-point advantage with the outburst, not long after Sharpsville pulled within three. He recorded a game-high 21 points and also had four thefts and two boards in the win.
Fellow senior Dawson Camper had a 12-point, 13-rebound double-double for the Knights, who earned third-place and only fell behind at 1-0.
SLIPPERY ROCK 47
Josh Book 8 0-0 18, Levi Prementine 5 0-4 12, Anderson Franco 3 2-2 9, Max Kovacik 2 1-4 5, Braden King 1 0-0 2, Casey Darr 0 1-2 1. Totals: 19 4-12 47.
MONITEAU 45
Chason Delarosa-Rugg 5 2-2 16, Andrew Zepeda 5 2-2 15, David Dessicino 3 0-0 6, Landon Kelly 2 0-2 5, Aydan Jackson 1 0-0 2, Dawson Cook 0 1-4 1. Totals: 16 5-10 45.
Slippery Rock 19 4 18 6 — 47
Moniteau 7 6 12 20 — 45
3-point goals: Moniteau 8 (Delarosa-Rugg 4, Zepeda 3, Kelly 1); Slippery Rock 5 (Prementine 2, Book 2, Franco)
UNION 53
Trey Fleming 21, Dawson Camper 12, Owen Bish 8, Trent Fleming 7, Gage Jordan 3, Christian Salizzoni 2. Totals: 20 13-20 53.
SHARPSVILLE 42
Tarnoci 11, DeJulia 10, Staunch 8, Scullin 8 Pernesky 3, Cadman 2. Totals: 15 7-10 42
Union 19 11 10 13 — 53
Sharpsville 4 18 9 11 — 42
3-point goals: Sharpsville 5 (Tarnoci 3, Scullin 2)
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