Struggles at the free-throw line spelled doom for Ellwood City Lincoln against visiting Blackhawk, 48-34 last night in Section 2-AAA play.

The Wolverines (0-7, 3-13) were 1 of 10 from the foul line and missed on several other shots in transition.

“Anytime you go 1 of 10 that hurts, but we had a lot of opportunities,” Ellwood City first-year coach Anthony Ovial said. “Most of the game was a single-digit deficit. If we make a few layups and make a few free throws, it’s a different game.”

Mario Greco notched a team-high 18 points, including two 3-pointers, for the Wolverines. Matt Young was next with nine.

“Greco forced a lot of turnovers,” Ovial said. “I thought our guys battled on that end of the floor and he was a main part of what we did well on defense.”

The Cougars (5-2, 8-7) limited Ellwood star Nick Aloi to three points on the night. The Wolverines’ leading scoring tallied 27 points in the first matchup between the two teams, a 64-45 Blackhawk victory.

“I think they did a good job with their 1-3-1 to make sure they shaded his way,” Ovial said. “ He didn’t get a whole lot of good looks. The majority of the shots he took were well-contested shots. He’s put himself on tape enough where teams are going to try to take him away. He’s handling it very well. It was just one of those nights.”