This is the third in a series of six articles profiling the Mars Athletic Hall of Fame's Class of 2018.VALENCIA — By the time Valerie Danner reached her teen years, her family had already created a sports legacy at Mars High School.She was more than happy to add to it.Danner's uncle, Jack Danner, was a former standout athlete at Mars in the 1940s and was posthumously inducted into the Mars Athletic Hall of Fame in 1981. Her father, Bob, and older brothers, Dave and Craig, all donned Planet blue and gold during their high school days.Valerie Danner played basketball all four years of high school and filled a key role in helping the Planets reach the state title game in 1977. She went on to contribute to four straight winning seasons at Gannon University, earning a letter each year.She will accept her induction into the hall of fame in September.“My family has always been sports-oriented and it's very humbling to be honored like this,” Danner said.During the 1976-77 school year, Valerie was a freshman and member of the Planets' junior varsity girls basketball team. Due to the energy crisis, the JV team's schedule was scrapped, but Danner and four other girls did not remain idle.“Our coaches (Carol DeVenzio and Marcia Semple) asked us to take part in the varsity practices to push the players and help them get better,” said Danner, who played center.Danner, along with JV members Lisa O'Connor, Sue Starr, Nancy Molnar and Kim Burford did their job so well that Semple, the team's assistant coach, dubbed them “The Fab Five.”“Our effort helped the varsity players, but we also learned so much from working with them,” Danner said.The Planets rolled to a WPIAL Class AA title, defeating Brentwood in the championship game. That was followed by state playoff wins over Westmont, Johnsonburg and Bishop McCort, vaulting Mars into the state championship game.“We dressed and were on the bench for all the games,” Danner said. “Everything the varsity team did that season, we went on that journey with them. We knew what we were working for. Their victories were our victories.”Though Mars did not claim the state title, losing to Carbondale, that season formed a bond that still exists today.“I still stay in touch with a lot of the players from that team,” said Danner. “We don't see each other often, but when we do, it seems like no time at all has passed.Danner was ready to contribute in a starting role as a sophomore in 1977-78.“We had a new coach my sophomore year, Melinda Hale. There's always some adjustment when a new coach is brought in. We were all looking forward to playing for Carol and Marcia, but Coach Hale was a very competitive person, a good coach and we learned a lot from her.”By her senior year, Danner was 5-foot-11. That height was beneficial for the Planets at both ends of the floor.“I was capable of scoring 25 points in a game, but I was really into defense and set a goal of getting between 10 and 15 rebounds per game.”For a frontcourt player, Danner handled the ball well. That ability paid off, especially when she arrived in Erie to play at Gannon University.“I played everywhere from center to forward to (shooting) guard,” she said. “I had a good 15-foot shot, but I remember a game at St. Bonaventure when I had between eight to ten steals. We lost in triple-overtime, but afterward, my coach named me defensive player of the game and that meant a lot to me, more than had I scored a ton of points.”Jeff Danner, Valerie's younger brother, was a star on Mars' boys basketball team before having his senior season (1981-82) cut short when he was diagnosed with leukemia. Following his death in 1984, the Danner family began a scholarship fund in Jeff's honor that benefits deserving boys and girls basketball players at Mars. The annual gesture is still going strong. Jeff was inducted into the Mars Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012.“Jeff had the most athletic ability of any of us kids, but he didn't get to finish his high school career,” said Danner. “Knowing I will be alongside him in the hall of fame, it's very humbling.”