The Neshannock High boys basketball team finally might be over the hump.

The snake-bitten Lancers, who have lost four games this season in the final minute, finally pulled one out last night, beating Lakeview 63-57 in the consolation game of the West Middlesex Tournament.

One of the games Neshannock lost came at the hands of Reynolds, 62-59 Thursday night in the tourney’s opening round. The Lancers led that game with less than a minute remaining, but couldn’t hold on.

“I tell my assistants that the longer you lose, the closer you come to winning,” Neshannock coach Jim Smiley said. “I’m happy for our kids, they’ve lost some tough games and they deserved to get this one.
“We’ve been fighting some injuries and the flu and that has hurt us, especially in the close games. I’m hoping we can carry this momentum back into section play.”

The Lancers (4-7) trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half, but rallied to pull to within even at the half.

Lakeview went back up in the third quarter, but Neshannock played a steady fourth to hang on to the win.

“Our kids played well in the fourth quarter,” Smiley said. “They didn’t want this one go get away.”

Michael Richards and Mike Conglose led the Lancers with 13 points apiece, J.T. Graham added 12 and Eric Bruening chipped in with 10.

Richards won the tourney’s sportsman award and Graham took the academic award.

Point guard Tony Kirkwood came off the bench for five points, just one night after returning from shoulder surgery he underwent the first week of the season.

“Tony is somebody we’ve missed terribly,” Smiley said. “We know it’s going to take him a few games to get back to where he was, but it’s great to have him back.”