Early and often
ADAMS TWP — Brandon Caruso scored his only two points of the game for Mars less than a minute after tip-off.
The Planets went on to score early and often in cruising to an 89-57 boys basketball victory over rival Knoch.
They jumped out to a 27-10 lead after one quarter, led by seniors Robby Carmody and Cade Hetzler, who scored 10 and 9 points, respectively, in the quarter.
Carmody, who scored a game-high 36 points, dominated on both offense and defense as he forced numerous turnovers on the defensive end that led to some easy points on the offensive side.
“Robby gives us a dimension that most teams do not have,” Mars coach Rob Carmody said. “He creates matchup problems on both ends of the floor. He has been shooting really well lately, and has created a lot of turnovers.”
Mars was not just a one-man show, however, as three more Planet players reached double figures. Michael Carmody chipped in with 14 points, Cade Hetzler had 13 and Andrew Recchia 12.
“We are a lot more than just Robby,” coach Carmody said. “Hetzler, Michael (Carmody), Recchia. We strive to be a balanced team, and tonight, with four players in double digits, we achieved that.”
The final three quarters were more competitive, as Mars outscored the Knights by six, four, and five points in the second, third, and fourth quarters, respectively, but the 17- point first quarter deficit was just too much to overcome for Knoch.
The Knights were led by Jared Schrecengost, who ended the game with 21 points, including five 3-pointers. Julian Sanks, who was a perfect 6-6 from the foul line, chipped in with 15 points.
Coach Carmody had a lot of praise for his team after the game, but he knows that there is still work to be done.
“Hetzler is a college athlete,” Carmody said. “Whether it's basketball or not, he will be playing some sport at the next level. (Luke) Morrissey gave us some great minutes. (Joe) Craska keeps getting better. We still have a long way to go, however. We need to keep getting better.
“It's only January. We need to be playing our best into March.”
KNOCH 57
Jake Scheidt 3 0-0 6, Adam Bajuszik 2 1-3 6, Ben Lucas 1 1-2 3, Jared Schrengost 8 0-0 21, Julian Sanks 4 6-6 15, Scott Fraser 1 0-0 2. Totals: 20 9-12 57.
MARS 89
Hunter Fesko 0 0-0 0, Cade Hetzler 6 0-1 13, Michael Carmody 7 0-1 14, Joe Schneider 0 0-0 0, Ray Kahn 0 2-2 2, Andrew Recchia 6 0-0 12, Connor Amsler 2 0-0 6, Joe Craska 0 2-2 2, Luke Morrissey 1 0-0 2, Brandon Caruso 1 0-0 2, Robby Carmody 13 8-11 36. Totals: 36 13-17 89.
Knoch 10 13 18 16 — 57
Mars27 19 22 21 — 89
3-point goals: Bajuszik, Sanksm Schrecengost 5; Hetzler, Ambler 2, R.Carmody 2
Sunday: Mars vs. Montour @ Sewuckley Academy
Tuesday: West Allegheny at Knoch
