Neshannock struggled through three quarters before erupting in the fourth quarter for a 75-57 Section 2-AA triumph over New Brighton last night.

The Lancers (8-4, 15-5) held a slim 52-49 lead entering the final period before outscoring New Brighton 24-5 over the final eight minutes.

“We came out and played very sloppy basketball,” Lancers coach John Corey said. “We eventually dug in and started playing a little bit better. It wasn’t a very good performance until the last eight minutes. We’re just not playing very good basketball. Unfortunately, we’re not shooting the ball real well right now. When we shoot the ball real well, we’re all in. If we don’t, we struggle.”

The Lancers committed 23 turnovers.

“We had 23 turnovers and the team we were playing didn’t do anything special,” Corey said. “They weren’t using a gimmick defense. We just turned it over at an extremely high rate. You can’t do that and beat good teams down the stretch.”

Neshannock is currently in third place in the section and lead Laurel (6-6, 11-8) by two games. The two teams could finish in a tie for third place if the Lancers lose their final two league games. Neshannock travels to Beaver Falls on Tuesday and hosts Laurel on Friday.

“Next week is a big week for us and we want to make a great playoff run,” Corey said. “We won’t do that until we start taking care of the ball.”

Matt McKinney led the Lancers with 21 points and six rebounds, while Ernie Burkes collected 19 points, five assists and five rebounds. Ethan Moose finished with 18 points and eight boards.