Turnovers cost the Lady ’Canes in a WPIAL Section 2-AAA battle at Hopewell.

“We turned the ball over too many times,” New Castle coach Scott Dibble said. “We gave up too many easy transition baskets.”

Lady Vikings standout Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, a Maryland recruit, finished the game with 27 points.

“We wanted to keep her to around 25,” Dibble said. “We worked hard all game. I’m proud of our kids. They played their butts off.”

The Lady ’Canes (0-1 section, 2-2 overall) were limited to 15 points in the first half as they couldn’t solve the Hopewell defense.

“Their press created a lot of havoc,” Dibble said. “We took a lot from this game, and we’ll build on it.”

Dana Perrotta led the way for New Castle with 11 points and Rachael Razzano was next with nine.

“That’s kind of how we’re set up,” Dibble said. “We’re balanced offensively. We try to stay balanced to keep everybody honest.

“We’re heading in the right direction. We do a lot of good things. I’m throwing a lot at them. We’re mixing things up. Sometimes it’s a lot to grasp. I’ve got no complaints. If there’s such a thing as a constructive loss, this would be it.”

The Lady Vikings are 1-0, 4-0.