Nothing is given and everything is earned when the Neshannock and Mohawk high boys basketball teams meet.

Last night was no different, as the two sides went back and forth in the first 16 minutes of the game. But it was the host Lancers that came out on top in a 78-67 victory in WPIAL Section 1-AA action.

Neither team could create separation in the first half, as Neshannock (5-0 section, 8-2 overall) had a three-point lead after the first quarter, which increased to four at the half.

“We couldn’t get a stop the entire first half,” Neshannock coach John Corey said. “Third quarter, we were able to get a couple stops and that was the difference.”

Those stops led to the Lancers holding a 24-15 third-quarter advantage, one that would last all the way to the final buzzer.

The Lancers’ Ethan Moose led all scorers with 33 points, while Pat Danglidis contributed 16.

“Beyond what he scored, his energy and intensity were tremendous,” Corey said of Danglidis. “He shot the ball well. It was good to see him have this type of night.”

Ricky Malutic paced Mohawk (0-4, 1-10) with 21 points, followed by Zach Shasteen’s 19-point performance.

“They did a nice job of getting us in the flow offensively,” Mohawk coach Rob Fadden said. “Ricky did a nice job in the first half and Zach followed that up in the second half.”

The loss stings for the Warriors, but Fadden was pleased with the effort that Mohawk put on the floor against a tough opponent.

“I was happy with the way our kids played this time,” Fadden said. “This is the first time in a while we’ve had five guys playing together, finding the open guy. You don’t want to dwell on moral victories but it was the best we’ve looked in awhile.”