New Castle tuned up for its showdown with Hopewell with a Section 2-AAA win over Blackhawk.

The Lady ’Canes (7-1, 16-2) are ranked No. 2 in the WPIAL in Class AAA by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. They will meet the Lady Vikings (8-0, 19-0), the top-ranked team in Class AAA, at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Ne-Ca-Hi Field House.

“That will be a battle of two great teams,” New Castle coach Jason Rankin said of Monday’s matchup. “I think the girls are determined to avenge that 48-47 loss to Hopewell.”

The Lady ’Canes built a 21-7 first-quarter lead before the Lady Cougars cut it to 26-18 after one period. New Castle held a 45-30 halftime buffer and made it stand.

“I’m proud of how strong we came out,” Rankin said. “Give Blackhawk credit, they managed to climb back into the game.”

Kaylynn Waters registered a game-high 24 points for New Castle on 9-of-13 shooting. She handed out five assists as well.

“I thought Kaylynn played very efficient,” Rankin said. “She has the ability to score in a lot of different ways.”

Christina Talbert followed Waters’ effort with 16 points and five rebounds. She was 7 of 10 from the field. JaNia McPhatter chipped in 12 points and 10 rebounds, while LaShauna Brothers tossed in 10 markers with 10 boards.

Alexa Hayward and Rachel Curtiss netted 10 points each for Blackhawk (4-4, 12-6), which sits in third place in the section standings.

The Lady ’Canes were 28 of 56 from the field, compared to 20 of 51 for the Lady Cougars.