Neshannock High boys coach John Corey issued a challenge to his team at halftime of its Border War with Wilmington.

The Lancers responded to it.

Neshannock dominated the Greyhounds in the second half and cruised to a 55-39 nonsection victory last night at Westminster College. The Lancers outscored Wilmington, 33-14, in the final two quarters.

“I just challenged them and talked about the two ends of the spectrum that we’ve performed at,” Corey said of his talk at halftime, when his team trailed by two. “We’ve come out with great energy and played efficiently, and then we’ve done the exact opposite. So the message was we can play at a much higher level, and this is unacceptable.”

The Lancers (7-2) answered with a 19-6 run in the third quarter. Brandon Marinelli and John Sansone scored 35 of Neshannock’s points. Marinelli racked up 19, six of which came in the third, and added 14 rebounds. Sansone provided 16 points, scoring five in the decisive quarter, and snatched six steals.

Wilmington (4-4) shot out to a 18-11 first-quarter margin and led 25-22 at the half. Daryl Pace led the Greyhounds with 12, while Curtis Bretz added 11.