Trib HSSN girls basketball team of the week for Feb. 17, 2025

By: Don Rebel
Monday, February 17, 2025 | 11:23 PM

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Trib HSSN girls basketball team of the week – Mars Fightin’ Planets

Coach: Zachary Stitt (second season)

Record: 6-6 in Section 3-5A, 14-9 overall

#Earned: The Mars girls basketball team started the week looking for momentum and ended it busting brackets. After completing Section 3-5A play with a 6-6 record, which was good enough for fourth place and a playoff berth, the Fightin’ Planets were hoping to enter the postseason on the heels of a victory as they traveled to North Hills. Mars built up a 14-point lead after the opening quarter only to see it evaporate into a tied game by halftime. The visitors again went up by 10 points heading into the final quarter and then held on for a lucky 13th victory this season, 54-52. Speaking of No. 13, that was the seed the Fightin’ Planets were given by the district basketball steering committee in the 16-team Class 5A playoffs. The postseason opened up for Mars with a trip to former section foe Shaler, the No. 4-seed which won 20 of its 22 games during the regular season. The game was a tight defensive struggle early with the Titans taking the lead after one quarter, 7-5. Then the Fightin’ Planets offense broke open while the defense tightened. Shaler was limited to only two points in the second quarter and never broke double-digit scoring in any quarter as Mars pulled out a first-round stunner, 44-23. The victory lifts the Fightin’ Planets into the second round to battle No. 13 seed Bethel Park, which upset Franklin Regional in the opening round. It also guarantees a spot in the upcoming PIAA 5A girls basketball playoffs for Mars.

Scoring stars: The depth of the Mars scoring balance was on display this past week in the wins over both North Hills and Shaler. In each game, the Fightin’ Planets’ leading scorer, senior guard Vita Vargo, was kept from producing double-digit points. Against the Indians, junior swing Mya Moore led the Planets with 15 points, junior swing Alexis Cashdollar had 13 and junior swing Cecilia Christy added 11 points. The in the stunner over the Titans, it was Christy who had a game-high 13 points while Cashdollar and senior guard Carmella McDole each tallied 11 points. Mars’ defensive effort in yielding only 23 points against Shaler was the team’s second best effort of the season behind only the season opener, a 47-17 victory over visiting Franklin Regional on Dec. 2.

Last year: Last year was the first season as head coach for Zachary Stitt, who took over for legendary Mars coach Dana Petruska. Stitt was a first-time head coach after having been an assistant coach at both his alma mater at Geneva College and Cornell University. He also had helped his father Keith when he coached the Riverview girls team. A young Fightin’ Planets team had an up-and-down season and finished in third place in Section 2-5A with a 7-5 record and ended up at .500 for the regular season overall at 11-11. The postseason was short and not as sweet for Mars as it lost in the 5A first round to eventual three-time champion South Fayette, 55-36. Cashdollar led the Fightin’ Planets with 14 points.

Remember when: Twenty-one years ago, Mars reached the WPIAL Class 3A girls basketball championship game as the No. 3 seed with wins over West Mifflin (47-46) and No. 2 Blackhawk (36-35). The run of thrilling wins ended, though, in a title game loss to top-seeded North Catholic, 68-40. The one time Mars girls hoops did come home with WPIAL gold was nearly 50 years ago when the Planets played in only the second district 2A championship game in 1977 and defeated Brentwood, 44-34. That title isn’t the only championship the program has won, though. Seven years ago, following a loss to Oakland Catholic in the WPIAL 5A semifinals, Mars got hot and eliminated Obama Academy (60-33), Thomas Jefferson (61-53), WPIAL champion Gateway (50-38), Archbishop Carroll (52-39) and Archbishop Wood (36-33) to win the 2018 PIAA 5A girls basketball state crown.

2025 Trib HSSN Girls Basketball Teams of the Week

Week 6 – South Fayette Lions

Week 5 – Oakland Catholic Eagles

Week 4 – Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Chargers

Week 3 – Penn-Trafford Warriors

Week 2 – Shady Side Academy Bulldogs

Week 1 – Shaler Titans

Tags: Mars