Jubilant Mars basketball players celebrate their 50-38 PIAA Class 5A girls quarterfinal win over Gateway Saturday at Canon-McMillan. The Planets reached the state semifinals for the first time since 1976.

CANONSBURG — Gateway made a run. Mars made history.

The Planets shook off the Gators' third-quarter flurry — which trimmed an 11-point deficit to one — and recovered for a stunning 50-38 upset victory of the WPIAL champions in a PIAA Class 5A girls basketball quarterfinal Saturday at Canon-McMillan High School.

Gateway's loss snapped its 17-game winning streak.

The victory puts Mars (22-6) in the state semifinals for the first time since 1976. The Planets will face Archbishop Carroll (21-7) — a 51-32 winner over Oakland Catholic on Saturday — in the semifinals at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Bald Eagle Area High School.

“I'm so happy for these girls. They've worked so hard for this,” Mars coach Dana Petruska said.

To learn more about this game, read Monday's Butler Eagle.