Free throws were the difference as Laurel captured a nonsection road win over the Lady Wolverines.

Ellwood City Lincoln was just 18 of 35 from the charity stripe compared to 22 of 30 for the Lady Spartans.

“We were absolutely terrible at Beaver Falls at the line Thursday,” Laurel coach Jessica Shevitz said. “We spent a lot of time in practice Friday and it definitely showed; we were much better at the line.”

“The team that wanted it more won this game,” Lady Wolverines coach Jolene Servick said. “We missed so many layups and foul shots.

“The Laurel girls played hard, didn’t quit and put the ball in the basket when it counted.”

Ellwood (7-9) built a 22-14 halftime advantage, but was outscored 40-22 in the second half. The Lady Spartans (5-10) turned up the defensive pressure in the second half, recording 13 steals in the final two quarters. The Lady Wolverines turned the ball over 29 times in the contest.

“It was a tale of two halves,” Shevitz said. “I called it a Saturday slump. It hit us in the first half.

“We spoke about it at halftime. Then we came out and got out of it and Ellwood fell into it. We played with more heart in the second half. It was a huge win for us. They’re a triple-A school and the girls handled themselves very well.”

Servick said Laurel’s fullcourt press was the difference.

“Our girls panicked and threw the ball away when they switched to a fullcourt press,” Servick said. “Our seniors have yet to step up and play with experience.”

Jessica Conrad collected a game-high 16 points to go with four blocks for the Lady Spartans. Brooke Dicks and Ellen Shaffer added 11 points apiece, while Rachael Baker chipped in with 10.

Asia Borders recorded a team-high 14 points for the Lady Wolverines and Karington Ketterer added 10. Borders pulled down a team-best 11 rebounds and Angela McCowin was next with 10.