By Andrew Petyak
New Castle News

The Mohawk High girls basketball team has some breathing room.

Guards Shelby Brown, Devon Giancola and Lucia Fee combined for 45 points in the Lady Warriors 54-39 victory over visiting Beaver Falls in a battle for first place in WPIAL Section 2-AA.

Mohawk is now 8-0 in the section and 12-5 overall. The Lady Tigers slipped to 6-2 and 8-8.

“Our guard play was our strength,” Mohawk coach Mike O’Lare said. “As a team, I thought we shot very well and played very well.”

Brown, the county’s leading scorer, led the charge with a 23-point night, including 9 of 10 from the foul line.

“She had a lot of crucial steals when she was near midcourt,” O’Lare said. “She did a great job of getting fouled or finishing.”

Fee notched a season-high 12 points to match her stellar defensive play. Fee was tasked with covering Lady Tigers’ standout Ayanna Vaughn. Along with Hannah Morrow and Holly Duncan, Fee held Vaughn to 13 points.

“Not only did she score tonight, she got at Vaughn the entire night,” O’Lare said. “She played well on both ends of the floor.”

Devon Giancola was the next guard to make an impact with 10 points. It was the sixth time this season she has scored at least 10 points. With two 3-pointers, Giancola now has 26 total this season.

Mohawk held Beaver Falls to four points in the second quarter to take a 21-10 score into halftime. The strong defensive performance has been a cornerstone in the Lady Warriors’ undefeated section record.

“I think that we struggled a little bit offensively to start the game. We struggled to find our way in the first half, but we still played solid defense,” O’Lare said. “We hit a couple of second-quarter shots that helped us.

“I really thought it was the first time all year we really played well for four quarters,” he added. “We didn’t let anyone dictate what we needed to do.”

The contest marked the second meeting between the two teams this season, with Mohawk taking the first on the road, 56-48. Beaver Falls couldn’t adjust to the defense of the Lady Warriors in the rematch.

“They did some different stuff, but I didn’t think they were set on doing one thing. I think we frustrated them offensively,” O’Lare said. “If we continue to play good solid defense, we’re always in a position to win. Our kids buy into that and work on that.”