Luann Grybowski called last night’s game a must-win.

Her Neshannock High girls basketball team heard the message.

The Lady Lancers (4-3 section, 9-5 overall) defeated host Laurel, 44-36, to remain in a third-place tie with Mohawk in the WPIAL Section 2-AA standings.

The Lady Spartans (3-5, 6-8) upended Neshannock on the Lady Lancers’ home court earlier this year.

However, Neshannock starters Ericka Warvell and Ashley Patton missed that game because of injury.

Warvell and Patton made both their presence felt last night. Warvell registered 11 points, seven rebounds and three steals, while Patton collected eight points.

“We had some bright spots,” Grybowski said. “We missed a lot of layups tonight, though.”

Laurel held a 19-13 advantage with two minutes left in the first half, but Neshannock stormed back with a 9-0 run to finish the second quarter.

From there, the Lady Lancers kept control of the game.

“It was just a real tough loss,” Laurel coach Jenn McGarrah said. “I don’t think it was a lack of effort. They just maintained the edge on us the whole game.

“The third quarter, I think, is what really got us. We just dug ourselves a whole we really couldn’t get out of.”

The game featured two of the county’s top scorers in Laurel’s Becca Kerr and Neshannock’s Chelsea Kauffman. Both players recorded 16 points.

Grybowski said Neshannock used a variety of defenses to stop Kerr, while the Lady Spartans employed a box-and-one against Kauffman.

“We just matched up where she was,” Grybowski said of Kerr. “In order to be effective, you have to stop her.”