New Castle handed Vincentian Academy its first loss of the season in a nonsection clash between two teams that sit atop their respective sections.

LaShauna Brothers had a monster game for the Lady ’Canes, scoring 29 points and dominating during a crucial span in the third quarter when New Castle (13-2) extended its lead to 52-34.

The Lady ’Canes are ranked No. 2 in the WPIAL in Class AAA by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, while Vincentian is ranked No. 1 in Class A.

“She was in a favorable mismatch as far as her speed compared to (Vincentian’s Gabby) Baldasare’s,” New Castle coach Jason Rankin said. “Once we got up by 10 or 11 in the third quarter, they had to go man and she was able to get to the basket and get fouled a few times. She used her quickness over a bigger player and took control of the game.”
Vincentian is the defending WPIAL Class A champion. The Lady Royals were 14-0 and coming off a win over North Catholic, which beat New Castle earlier this season. They took a 17-16 first-quarter lead before the Lady ’Canes used a 20-10 advantage to go up by nine at halftime. Brothers, who also corralled 11 rebounds, then put the game out of reach with a backbreaking third quarter.

Vincentian did stay within striking distance, but New Castle, which is on a 10-game winning streak, never allowed the Lady Royals to rally closer than nine.

“I’m not sure if you can even put them in the Single A bracket with the teams they beat,” Rankin said of Vincentian. “They’re a very good team. It was a good win. They have some leadership and they won the WPIAL in their section.”

Brothers had plenty of help on both sides of the ball. Ja’Nia McPhatter provided 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Delvona Dennis registered eight markers and 11 boards. Christina Talbert chipped in with 10 more points.

Baldasare led Vincentian with 23 points. Ashlee Darby added 16, and Noreen Fischer contributed 12.