By Corey J. Corbin
New Castle News

The Neshannock High boys basketball team knows it can score almost at will.

Now, the high-powered Lancers are focusing on their defense.

Visiting Neshannock (2-0, 4-1) limited Shenango to single digits in all four quarters to roll to the 77-25 Section 2-AA victory last night.

“I thought we played very well together at both ends of the floor,” Neshannock coach John Corey said. “Our offense will take care of itself. Our guys were really digging in defensively, which is something we talked about before the game. We have to take pride in our defense. That’s where we have to start.”

The Wildcats (0-2, 1-4) managed just nine field goals and didn’t have a player reach double figures against the Lancers’ defense.

“We needed to work harder on the offensive end,” Shenango coach Bob McQuiston said. “We took some quick shots and that turned into some transition points for Neshannock.”

The Lancers erupted in the first quarter, scoring 32 points before taking a 60-17 lead into halftime.

“I was pleased with how we came out in the first half,” Corey said. “We were making them work for shots. They didn’t get very many easy looks in the first quarter. I can’t say enough about the effort in the first half. We guarded the ball well and we had a couple of charge attempts. It was a complete defensive team effort.”

The Lancers had no problems sharing the ball offensively, posting 15 assists on 27 field goals.

“That’s a pretty good number for us,” Corey said. “We had four guys with three assists apiece. We shared the ball very well.”

Jimmy Medure led Neshannock with a 17-point, 13-rebound double-double, while Ernie Burkes pumped in a game-high 21. Matt McKinney and Ethan Moose also reached double figures with 14 and 10 points, respectively.

“Jimmy played a phenomenal game,” Corey said. “I think he had 12 points and eight rebounds at halftime. Jimmy, Matt Seltzer and Ty Haswell are three forwards that love competing and getting after it. My challenge to them is ‘How are you getting better?’ They’re all great kids and all of them work hard. I foresee two of them having a great night every night for the rest of the season. Jimmy did a phenomenal job rebounding. He knocked down all his free throws. Jimmy is a very fiery guy and is a great guy in the locker room. To see him play that way is great.”

James Micco led Shenango with six points.

“Obviously, we’re not playing very well right now,” McQuiston said. “When you hit a two-game slide, it seems like everything is going wrong. We have to figure out how to turn this around. We’re definitely better than we’re showing right now. We just have to fight through it.”