Mohawk’s defense delivered in the second half en route to a 54-39 Section 2-AA win over Shenango.

The Lady Warriors (8-4, 17-5) led 29-26 at the break, but outscored the Lady Wildcats 16-4 in the pivotal third period.

“I thought we played really poor on the defensive end in the first half,” Mohawk coach Mike O’Lare said. “We went more full-court pressing style in the second half and a minute-and-a-half into the third quarter we were up 10 points.”

Shenango coach Brian Turk noted the effect the third quarter had on the game.

“We just couldn’t get any buckets in the third quarter to stay in the game,” Turk said. “I thought we played well in the first half.

“It was a good way to end the season though. The kids competed really hard.”

Shelby Brown recorded a game-high 18 points to go with five rebounds for the Lady Warriors. Ciara Sackin was next with 12 markers and Taylor Yarletts added 11. Both are seniors.

“They sparked us tonight,” O’Lare said of Sackin and Yarletts. “It’s great to see them perform like that on Senior Night. I’m proud of their efforts.”

Briana Ferrucci paced the Lady Wildcats (0-12, 1-22) with 14 points and Jenna Petrucci tossed in 10.

Mohawk dominated Shenango on the glass, 33-12.

“We’ve outrebounded every team we played; you don’t realize it sometimes,” O’Lare said. “I didn’t notice the rebounding until I saw it on paper after the game.”

Though the regular season is over for Mohawk, the team still has a chance to tie for second place in the section. Beaver Falls (8-3, 12-9) visits Neshannock (4-7, 8-13) today in the section finale for both teams. A Lady Lancers win ties Mohawk and the Lady Tigers for second place. The teams split the season series.

“Neshannock has to be our best friend,” O’Lare said. “We put a good résumé together.

“All we can do is wait. You’d think you’d be in good position with 17 wins. This is a tough section we compete in.”

The WPIAL playoff pairings will be announced Tuesday at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Green Tree.