Carmody's chaos
EBENSBURG — As the third game of a triple-header, the Mars boys basketball team's first-round state Class AAA playoff contest began over an hour after it was scheduled.
The delayed start had no effect on the Planets.
Mars pulled away from Somerset with a 24-7 run in the second quarter and went on to crush the Eagles 78-48 at Central Cambria High School Friday night.
“I think our defensive intensity got to them,” said Mars coach Rob Carmody. “They like to play fast, but we pushed it to the next level.”
The Planets (25-2) will face Beaver Falls in the second round Tuesday at a site and time to be determined.
Mars' catalyst early on was freshman guard Robby Carmody, who hit a pair of treys in the opening moments and scored 18 of his game-high 23 points in the first half.
“The game being pushed back didn't bother me,” he said. “I just tried to stay loose in the locker room and work up a bit of a sweat before getting on the court.”
Carmody opened the second period with a dunk for a 24-14 lead, which sent the Mars fans into a frenzy. The Planets would shoot 71 percent (10-of-14) in the second quarter, with Carmody adding two more 3-pointers.
“We knew they were a dominant force inside with (John Castello and Alex Gruber),” said Somerset coach Scott Close of the Planets. “We were just hoping that they wouldn't shoot the ball as well as they did. Once they started hitting the outside shots, that was the beginning of the end.”
Meanwhile, the Eagles' offense did little to help the team's cause. Somerset connected on just three of its 13 field goal attempts in the period.
“We thought we could outrun them and tire them out,” said Robby Carmody. “They don't have much of a bench.”
“Somerset averaged 67 points per game this year,” said Rob Carmody. “You hold a good team to 20 points below their average, you're doing something right.
“You get to the state playoffs, you have to rebound and play defense.”Castello scored 15 points and handled 16 boards for the Planets, Christian Schmitt scored 11 points and Gruber tallied nine points and 14 boards.Mars made 11-of-12 free throw attempts.Jake Heiple scored 18 points for the Eagles, who finished the season with a record of 21-4.“Heiple is the complete athlete,” Rob Carmody said of the 5-foot-11 junior guard. “I love the way he plays and I told him that after the game.“Going 21-4, Somerset has a lot to be proud of.”MARS 78Alex Gruber 3 3-3 9, John Castello 6 3-3 15, Bailey Trzeciak 0 2-2 2, Ryan Giallonardo 2 2-2 6, Nate Sablowski 4 0-0 8, Nate Bayuk 1 0-0 2, Christian Schmitt 4 1-2 11, Robby Carmody 9 0-0 23, Brandt Kepreos 1 0-0 2, Aaron Gruber 0 0-0 0, Noah Tresky 0 0-0 0, Mitch Verplank 0 0-0 0. Totals: 30 11-12 78.SOMERSET 48Bryce Funa 1 0-0 2, Dylan Barnes 6 0-1 14, Jake Heiple 4 8-11 18, Elliott Dick 3 0-0 6, George Coyle 2 0-0 4, Mike Van Lenten 1 1-2 3, Levi DeBlase 0 1-2 1. Totals: 17 10-16 48.Mars 22 24 12 20 — 78Somerset14 7 15 12 — 483-point goals: Mars 7 (Carmody 5, Schmitt 2); Somerset 4 (Barnes 2, Heiple 2).Tuesday: Mars vs. Beaver Falls, PIAA Class AAA second-round playoff, TBD
