MOHAWK GETS NICKED BY NESHANNOCK

By Eric Hughes

NEW CASTLE OH- Neshannock defeats Mohawk, 48-45, to survive the Warriors’ second half comeback bid and improve to 8-3 on the season.

The Lancers made their presence felt early, especially on the defensive end, and jumped out to an 18-9 lead in the first quarter.

Payton Newman gave the Lancers an early spark, scoring seven points in the first half and hauling in too many rebounds to count on both ends, leading Neshannock to a 30-20 halftime lead.

Mohawk came out swinging in the second half, despite the deficit, and went on a 17-7 run in the third quarter, creating a lot of turnovers in the process, to tie the game going into the fourth quarter.

The Warriors took their first lead of the game late in the fourth quarter, but their magic would run out shortly after, as Chloe Fadden, their leading scorer fouled out, and Kaitlyn Fries made a three-pointer with less than a minute left to give Neshannock the lead back.

Rian Owens made a layup with only a few seconds left to give the Lancers a 48-45 lead and tightrope out of danger on their bitter rivals’ home court.

Rian Owens led the Lancers in scoring with 12 points, Jaidon Nogay and Payton Newman each had nine points, and Kaitly Fries had eight points and made the game-winning shot.

Chloe Fadden led the Warriors with 14 points before fouling out late, draining three three-pointers, and Kiera Julian had 12 points.

Neshannock will face off against West Middlesex Saturday at 1:30 at Westminster College, while Mohawk will travel to Beaver County Monday to take on Riverside.