Neshannock was effective in all phases en route to a 74-31 WPIAL Section 2-AA road win over Shenango.

The Lady Lancers (3-4 section, 7-10 overall) breathed life into their playoff hopes with the win. Neshannock is chasing New Brighton (4-5, 8-7), which holds the fourth and final playoff spot in the section.

“All we can do is take care of our business,” Neshannock coach Luann Grybowski said. “If we can get some quality wins, we can put ourselves in the playoff run and that would be so beneficial to these kids.”

The Lady Lancers were 31 of 62 from the field and they outrebounded Shenango, 36-21. Neshannock forced 19 turnovers while turning it over just seven times.

“I thought overall we played well,” Grybowski said. “It was a good team game for us.

“I think team-wise, it was a good effort and you like to see that. It ranks right up there as far as our performance goes.”

Neshannock rolled to a 19-4 lead after the first quarter and 42-12 at the break and it never looked back.

“It was a great first half for us; we played well early,” Grybowski said. “I thought we played exceptionally well in the second quarter.

“I thought it was important to go there and play well. We just have to keep getting better.”

Marissa DeMatteo paced four Lady Lancers scorers in double figures with 19 points, including 12 in the first half. She added five assists and four steals as well.

Madison McHale contributed 16 points, five rebounds, four steals and four blocks for Neshannock, while Tayler Grybowski supplied 15 markers, five boards, four assists and three steals.

Alexandra Fischer collected 10 points and four blocks for the winners.

“I think all four of our girls had a great game,” Grybowski said of her team’s top scorers. “It wasn’t just one aspect, they played well all-around.”

Justine Razo recorded seven points for the Lady Wildcats (0-9, 1-18).

“We definitely battled, but we’re just not competing up to the speed we need to compete with at this time,” Shenango coach Brian Turk said. “We had opportunities, we just didn’t capitalize on them.

“Neshannock is just a better shooting team than we are right now.”

The Lady Lancers have a crucial week next week as they host section-leading Riverside (8-1, 14-3) on Monday and travel to second-place Beaver Falls (6-1, 10-6) on Thursday.

“Next week is a big week for us,” Grybowski said. “We just want to keep playing well and getting better.”