JEFFERSON TWP - The biggest lead either team enjoyed, until overtime, was four points. There were 15 lead changes and six times the score was deadlocked.

It was just a typical battle between rivals and teams at the top of the standings.

But Knoch used a 9-0 run in overtime to erase a deficit and emerge with a 65-59 win over Mars in a section matchup Tuesday.

"If someone paid $5 to see this game, they should donate $5 more to the athletic programs," said Mars coach Rob Carmody. "They got their money's worth."

Fans, raucous on both sides of the court, saw a crisply played game on it.

Ryan Hollihan had 20 points and 13 rebounds for Knoch (12-2, 6-0) and was the focal point of the Knights offense in the fourth quarter, when things started to look bleak.

Hollihan, who at 6-feet-7, had a marked height advantage over the smaller Mars team, scored 11 points in the second half.

"His size bothers us," Carmody said. "What he really did a good job of was not getting frustrated. He missed some first shots, but found a way to get second chances."

He also opened things up outside, as Ryan Ziacik scored 14 points, hitting four 3-pointers.

The senior guard hit his first two attempts from beyond the 3-point arc, but went cold - so cold in fact he started to get cold feet.

That drew the ire of Knoch coach Les Shoop, who implored his biggest outside shooting threat to keep chucking them up.

"He quit shooting the ball," Shoop said. "He lost confidence in himself. He's got to have the mentality that if I miss five in a row, I'm going to make five in a row."

Ziacik missed seven in a row before hitting two of his next three - the final one tying the score at 59 in overtime and also hit two free throws in the extra period to send the Knights to the win.

The play of Hollihan and Ziacik spoiled the stellar night turned in by Mars' Tim Frye and Sean Gallagher.

Frye scored a game-high 25 points, showing off his outside shooting form and his ability to drive the lane. Gallagher scored nine of his 13 points in the first quarter, as Mars clung for most of the first three quarters to a narrow advantage.

Mars' goal, other than keeping the ball out of the hands of Hollihan in the paint, was to keep Knoch guard Jordan Shoop from penetrating.

The Planets (10-5, 4-2) did a good job for the most part as Shoop struggled at times, hitting just 4-of-12 shots from the floor. He did, however, end up with 13 points and was 5-of-6 from the line.

Mars, on the other hand, had very few opportunities at the free throw line, hitting just 1-of-4. Knoch committed only six fouls the entire game.

"We shoot 76 percent from the line," Carmody said. "Not only didn't we get to the line enough, we were only 1-of-4 when we got there. We shoot our season average and those extra two points we get, maybe we don't go to overtime."

Mars also was hurt by questionable shot selection late in the game and in overtime.

The Planets took eight 3-point shot late in the fourth quarter and in overtime and made only one.

For Knoch, it was another test successfully passed.

"Some people have those shirts that say, 'refuse to lose' on the back of them," Shoop said. "That's what this team does. It refuses to lose."

For Mars, there is no shame in returning home with an overtime loss.

"I'm proud of how our guys played," Carmody said. "We played our tails off and we have nothing to hang our heads about."

MARS 59

Tim Frye 11-20 0-0 25, Charlie Jaicks 2-7 0-2 4, Scott Martinelli 5-13 1-2 13, Dusty Wessel 0-1 0-0 0, Robbie Herold 2-5 0-0 4, Sean Gallagher 6-12 0-0 13, Mark Lucas 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 26-58 1-4 59

KNOCH 65

Scott Muska 4-8 1-3 10, Jordan Shoop 4-16 5-6 13, Ryan Ziacik 4-12 2-2 14, Eric Czech 3-8 0-0 6, Ryan Hollihan 9-17 2-5 20, Tim Hickey 0-0 0-0 0, Billy Eilliott 1-1 0-0 2, Curtis Compton 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 25-62 10-16 65

3-point goals:

Frye 3, Martinelli 2, Muska, Ziacik 4

JV:

Knoch 35-22

Friday:

Kittanning @ Knoch; Mars @ Deer Lakes