It was an ugly victory at West Allegheny, but it’s one New Castle girls basketball coach Scott Dibble will take.

The Lady ’Canes snapped a four-game losing streak with a 42-37 WPIAL Section 2-AAA decision at West Allegheny.

“We’ve been struggling the last four games. Our confidence was shaken,” he said. “I wanted to get a win at all cost. When you’re playing poorly and everything seems against you, we were fortunate to get out of there with a win.”

The matchup seemed like an easy victory on paper as New Castle (3-5, 7-9) rolled the Lady Indians (0-8, 5-11) earlier in the year, 73-26. That wasn’t the story last night.

“West Allegheny has improved greatly,” Dibble said. “Hopefully, the win gives our team a little bit of confidence back after that tough stretch.”

New Castle carried the play into halftime with a 21-12 advantage. Unlike the first contest between the two teams, West Allegheny never went away, cutting into that lead by outscoring the Lady ’Canes 12-8 in the third. A 13-point effort in the fourth sealed the victory for New Castle.

New Castle’s Kelsey Scott recorded 17 points while shooting 11 of 15 from the free-throw line. Teammate Rachael Razzano also had 17, including a team-high three 3-pointers.

“We’ve been really challenging Kelsey to take the ball to the hoop more,” Dibble said. “She was really aggressive which led to a lot of free-throw opportunities.”

The Lady ’Canes will host section rival Ambridge at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in a game that could decide the playoff fates for both teams. New Castle will look to avenge a four-point loss earlier in the season, 51-47.

“That’s our Super Bowl,” Dibble said. “If we win that game, we’re still alive. It doesn’t get any easier from here.”