New Castle enjoyed one final tune-up before Thursday’s WPIAL Section 2-AAA opener with a nonsection verdict over North Allegheny. The teams are former Section 3-AAAA rivals.

The Lady ’Canes (8-0), ranked No. 1 in the WPIAL in Class AAA by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, raced out to a 22-6 buffer after the first quarter and built the lead to 63-28 with three minutes left in the third quarter.

New Castle’s Christina Talbert fired in a career-high 23 points to lead all scorers, 12 of which coming in the first quarter. Talbert, a sophomore, was 11 of 13 from the field, with five steals and five assists.

“Christina showed her quickness and got to the hoop early in the game,” Lady ’Canes coach Jason Rankin said. “I feel much better with her each game.”

LaShauna Brothers chipped in with 13 markers and 10 rebounds for the winners. Kaylynn Waters and Breanna Beshero tallied nine markers each. Waters notched six steals and Beshero posted all of her markers on a trio of second-quarter 3-pointers.

Alexis Aiken netted 11 points for the Lady Tigers (5-3).

New Castle opens section action at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Ambridge. The Lady Bridgers posted the lone section win over the Lady ’Canes last year, which was a 58-56 home decision in the section opener.