Tony Kirkwood came up big for the Neshannock High boys basketball team Saturday.

Kirkwood posted a game-high 22 points to lead the Lancers to a 67-53 win over Laurel in a nonsection matchup.

Kirkwood scored eight of his points in the first quarter.

Neshannock outscored the Spartans 21-9 in the second quarter to break a 17-17 tie. Laurel could get no closer than eight markers the rest of the way.

“It just came down to the second quarter,” Spartans coach Mike Tinstman said. “We played well in the first quarter but we had too many turnovers and they shot better than we did.”

Bobby Nittinger contributed 12 points for the Lancers (13-6).

Jake Dando paced Laurel (7-11) with 13 points and Eric Wallas chipped in with 12. Shane Caldararo added 10.

Neshannock (6-2 in WPIAL Section 1-A), which has clinched a berth in the Class A playoffs, could tie Lincoln Park (8-1, 13-5) for the section title if it wins out coupled with a Monaca (3-5, 7-9) win over the Leopards tomorrow. If Lincoln Park wins, the Lancers could secure second place outright if they win out.

Laurel (3-7 in Section 2-AA), which competes in Class AA, needs to win out to have any shot at securing a postseason bid. The Spartans begin that quest at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow when they host section rival Summit Academy (4-7, 6-13).

“We’ve got to get that first one and then we can worry about the next game,” Tinstman said. “It’s a big week for us.

“The thing that’s frustrating is that we’re not playing well. We have to get things turned around right now and we have to take care of business.”