By Joe Sager
New Castle News

AMBRIDGE — It’s down to one and maybe done for the Neshannock High girls basketball team.

Last night, the Lady Lancers suffered their second-straight WPIAL Class AA playoff loss with a 47-36 setback to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in a PIAA play-in first-round game at Ambridge High School.

The Lady Chargers (20-4), who dropped a 58-46 decision to Carlynton in Friday’s WPIAL quarterfinals, wrapped up a PIAA tournament berth with a win. They meet Greensburg Central Catholic on Thursday at a time and site to be determined for the WPIAL’s fifth seed to the PIAA tournament.

“Locking up a state playoff berth has been one of our goals,” OLSH coach Don Eckerle said. “We challenged the kids a little this week after our loss to Carlynton. We wanted to see if they could bounce back. I thought they played with enthusiasm and they worked hard.”

Neshannock (19-5), which fell to Seton-La Salle 60-43 in Friday’s WPIAL quarterfinals, is down to a must-win situation in order to extend its season. The Lady Lancers meet Chartiers-Houston (16-9) on Thursday at a time and site to be determined for the WPIAL’s seventh and final PIAA tournament berth. The winner gets the District 10 champ when the PIAA playoffs open March 6.

“Now it’s do-or-die. It’s by no means easy,” Neshannock coach Luann Grybowski said. “They beat Mohawk big and they have another big girl like OLSH’s who is very athletic. So, we’ll see. Hopefully, we can pull one out.”

OLSH carried a 12-9 advantage into the second quarter. That’s when Neshannock’s offense really struggled against the Lady Chargers’ zone defense. The Lady Lancers were shut out for the first 5:22 of the frame before Maeley McHale swished a 3-pointer with 2:38 left in the half.

Neshannock only added Madison McHale’s free throw the rest of the way and went into the intermission down, 26-13.

“I knew exactly what they were going to play. We can’t emulate their defense in practice and that was the problem. It was a 2-3 matchup zone. We tried running everything we usually run and we couldn’t get any open looks,” Grybowski said. “In the second half we made some changes and they worked. We cut the deficit a little bit, but they just had too many weapons.”

Namely, Heidi Langhorst and Courtney Alexander. Langhorst provided a strong paint presence for the Lady Chargers and finished with a team-best 21 points. Alexander, a guard, added 18.

“We didn’t have anyone who could match up with (Alexander),” Grybowski said. “I thought she attacked the rim well. I thought she was their best player.”

Neshannock’s offense funneled through Madison McHale in the second half. The senior responded with 13 of her team-high 21 points. Tayler Grybowski’s trey brought the Lady Lancers within a dozen, 42-30, with 5:10 to go, but their rally was cut short.

(Email: ncsports@ncnewsonline.com)