ADAMS TWP — Tai Johnson is 14 years old.

“I'll be 15 this year,” the freshman guard on the Mars girls basketball team points out.

But Johnson doesn't play like a soon-to-be 15-year-old.

She plays much wiser than her age.

Against Highlands Thursday night, Johnson missed her first four free throw attempts. Some players would let that go to their heads.

Not Johnson.

She calmly drained her next six free throws and finished with a game-high 22 points.

Johnson's attitude toward failure belies her youth.

“I miss some shots, but those shots are here and gone,” she said. “They won't come back. I can't do anything to make it up, so I just focus on the next shot.”

And that next shot usually falls.

Johnson has combined quickness, tenacity and the penchant for hitting clutch shots to lead Mars in scoring at 15.1 points per game.

In her last 12 games, she is averaging 16.7 points per contest.

“She plays very very competitive AAU,” said Mars girls basketball coach Dana Petruska. “She plays very very competitive AAU for her age bracket, but here she is playing against kids who are three to four years older than her. They are bigger and they are smart and they are more experienced. She's had a really good year so far.”

Nothing seems to faze Johnson.

“I don't feel a lot of pressure,” she said. “I just go out and play and see what the outcome is.”

Is that the benefit of being young?

Johnson laughs. “Yeah. I think it is,” she said.

Johnson was split between soccer and basketball at a young age, but her focus quickly shifted from the pitch to the court.

At around the age of 11, Johnson realized she could be an exceptional basketball player and poured her energy into honing her skills.

“I really just like the sport and saw people on TV and was like, 'Oh, I want to be like them. I want to be that good,'” Johnson said. “I started working on it to try to reach that goal.”

Still, Johnson had no idea what to expect when she stepped onto the varsity floor wearing a Mars jersey for the first time this season.

Johnson's skills meshed well with what Petruska wanted to do on offense.

Before long, Johnson had become one of the go-to players on a team that finds itself 12-5 overall, 7-1 in Section 1-AAA and pushing for a section title and a good seed in the WPIAL playoffs.

“I just wanted to come in and help the team,” Johnson said. “I just took what came my way.”

Quickly, the freshmen bonded with her teammates, especially the seniors.

“They are very fun to play with,” Johnson said. “We all became very close very fast. They were welcoming and encouraging.”

And with Johnson, sophomore Lauren Wasylson and junior Nicole McCloud, Mars has a solid core for years to come.

“That's a great nucleus to have,” Petruska said. “But we have some business to take care of this year.”