Planets victorious in Class 5A showdown
Mars had its run of eight consecutive section titles end last season after Highlands handed the Planets both of its section defeats on its way to claiming the title.
Taking on the Golden Rams Friday night for the first time since then, Mars captured a huge road win the Planets hope will propel them toward beginning a new streak of section championships.
Mars, ranked No. 3 in WPIAL Class 5A, got outstanding free-throw shooting, big contributions from two new starters and led wire-to-wire in topping No. 5 Highlands, 73-62.
With the win, Mars (9-1, 50) moved into sole possession of first place in Section 4, just ahead of Highlands (84, 4-1). Every other team in the section has at least two section losses. A season ago, Highlands defeated the Planets, 65-52, at home and 52-51 on the road.
“It was really an emotional game because last year we came here and we kind of just laid an egg,” Mars senior guard Zach Schlegel said. “I took pride in this game because I wanted to beat them so badly. They took the section from us. All of us really stayed together, played hard and we were able to beat them.”
Schlegel being perfect from the free-throw line played a big part in that. A three-year starter, Schlegel scored a game-high 24 points, which included a 15of-15 effort from the charity stripe. That contributed to the Planets going 24 of 26 from the line overall. Junior guard Tasso Sfanos was 7 of 8 and finished with 17 points. Highlands was 3 of 6 from the line.
“This is the moment he wants to be in,” Mars coach Rob Carmody said. “You go 15 for 15 on a Friday night on the road, it’s just a fantastic job by him.”
Schlegel and Sfanos combined to go 12 of 12 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter. That combined with the fact that
Mars committed only seven turnovers in the game made it difficult for Highlands to get within striking distance late. The closest the Golden Rams got in the fourth quarter was seven points.
Mars also got a doubledouble from 6-foot-6 senior forward Chris Dvorak, who finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
In addition, Mars got key contributions from a pair of players who recently moved into the starting lineup due to injuries suffered by Jonah Kozora (wrist) and Bryce Cunningh a m (foot). Carmody turned to senior guard Austin Cote and 6-4 sophomore forward Ryan Ceh to step up, and both delivered. Ceh, making his first career start, knocked down three 3-pointers and scored 12 points, while Cote chipped in with eight points. Cote is also an excellent lacrosse player who will play that sport at Loyola, Md.
“They were huge tonight,” said Schlegel. “I’m so proud of both of them. We wouldn’t be here without them.”
Highlands junior guard Jimmy Kunst, who came into the game averaging 23 points a game, led the Golden Rams with 20. Chandler Thimons added 15, Braydn Foster had 12 and Cam Reigard 10.
It was a slow start to the game for Highlands, which trailed by 10 points midway through the opening quarter. The Golden Rams pulled within 42-39 late in the third, but Mars closed the quarter on a 7-0 run.
“I felt like they punched us in the mouth early,” firstyear Highlands coach Corey Dotchin said. “We knew they were going to come ready to play, especially with us beating them twice last year. We knew those seniors were going to have that on their mind to come in ready, and unfortunately we didn’t start off the way we needed to.”