Mars girls basketball gives Highlands its 1st loss

By: Michael Love
Tuesday, December 28, 2021 | 10:06 PM

The Highlands girls basketball team came into their holiday tournament game against Mars on Tuesday afternoon undefeated through six games.

But the visiting Planets ended up being too much for the Golden Rams to overcome. Three players scored in double figures for Class 5A Mars (7-1) as it handed Highlands (6-1) a 64-45 setback.

“We had a height advantage, and that was a difference,” veteran Mars coach Dana Petruska said.

“Highlands is really aggressive on defense, and they are really unselfish. They have a really nice team. They battled us every step of the way. It was a good challenge for us.”

Mars, which added Tuesday’s victory to wins over Fox Chapel and Knoch last week, advanced to the championship game Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. against Connellsville, a 48-41 winner over West Mifflin in the second game Tuesday.

The Planets scored above the 54.4 points they averaged over their first seven games. They scored 60 or more points for the fourth time.

Highlands will look to bounce back as it faces West Mifflin in the consolation matchup at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

“We know how good of a team Mars is, and we wanted to make sure we played them,” Highlands coach Jason Kerr said.

“The result was what it was, and now we just have to go back out and get after it on Wednesday.”

Down 19 to start the fourth, Highlands used a 7-2 run to close the gap with 5 minutes left. However, Mars was able to right itself and not allow the Golden Rams to get any closer than 14.

“We knew Highlands wasn’t going to quit, and they kept battling,” Petruska said. “Anyone can score for them. They are a good young team.”

Mars jumped out to a 12-7 lead with 3:07 left in the first quarter as all five Planets starters — Vitaliana Vargo, Alexa McDole, Olivia Donnelly, Ava Black and Kaitlyn Pelaia — had at least one bucket.

“We were able to establish early, which we like to do, a number of scorers and get a number of them going,” Petruska said.

Mars extended its lead to double digits in the second quarter as it controlled the boards, scored inside and also connected from long range. The Planets led by 16 as the teams went to the break.

Mars nailed a half dozen 3-pointers in the first half and finished the game with nine.

“We wanted to get the ball going up and down the court fast, both ways,” Kerr said.

“We were willing to trade baskets with them, even early. But we simply couldn’t get anything in the full court or half court. We couldn’t keep any of their guards in front of us. When that happens and they are driving down the middle of the lane with options, that’s a problem. We actually did a decent job with their height. But the drives, the kicks and the 3s were what really hurt us. You can’t beat a team when it is in your paint the whole game.”

McDole led Mars and all scorers with 18 points. She collected a trio of 3-pointers and 11 total points in the first half.

Pelaia mixed short-range field goals with three from beyond the arc to finish with 17 points to go with eight rebounds, and Donnelly scored seven of her 10 points in the third quarter.

Highlands sophomore Kate Myers was limited to just two points in the first half, but she rebounded to score eight in the third and five more in the fourth to finish with a team-best 15.

Fellow sophomores Jocelyn Bielak and Shelby Wojcik each added nine points, and a fourth sophomore, Kalleigh Nerone, contributed seven points in the loss.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Highlands, Mars