ROSS TWP — The Mars girls basketball team has both senior leadership and up-and-coming stars.

Both were on display Monday evening.

Senior guard Julie Utz scored 15 points and freshman forward Lily Grenci tallied 20 points and 10 rebounds off the bench as Mars crushed Keystone Oaks, 53-26 in a WPIAL Class AAA first-round playoff game at North Hills High School.

Mars will face Moon, a 57-42 victor over Elizabeth-Forward, in the quarterfinals at a date and site to be determined.

The Planets held a commanding 27-11 advantage at halftime.

"We used the second half to show Moon a few different things," said Mars coach Dave Sylvester. "We don't want to make things easy on them in the next round."

Utz led Mars' offensive attack in the first period, tallying six points in the first eight minutes.

But the Golden Eagles (10-14) managed to hang around, and when Suzanne Edwards drained a 3-pointer seconds into the second quarter, Mars' lead was cut to 13-10.

That's when the Planets hit their stride, outscoring Keystone Oaks 14-1 the rest of the half.

Grenci ended the first half with 10 points and Utz was close behind with eight.

The 20 points were a career-high for Grenci, whose previous best was a 15-point effort earlier this season against South Allegheny.

"It's hard not to smile when talking about (Grenci)," said Sylvester. "For most of the season, she's been our first or second girl off the bench. We've tried to bring her along slowly, but I think she has done real well."

"It was hard adjusting to things at the beginning of the season," said Grenci. "But I'm a lot more comfortable now."

As for senior leadership, it can never be downplayed, especially during the playoffs.

"Julie's definitely been the leader throughout the season," said Sylvester. "I think she, along with the other seniors (Alina Hudac and Heather Carpenter), realize that this is their last run."

Utz's four-point play with 4:40 left in the third quarter put Mars up 37-15.

"We knew that if we stayed patient and collected, we'd end up pulling through," said Utz.

The Planets surrendered just eight field goals in the game, including one each in the second and fourth quarters.

"I think it's hard to play against a defense that's in your face all the time," said Utz. "And that's how we play."

KEYSTONE OAKS 26

Suzanne Edwards 2-10 0-0 6, Ashley Alward 0-0 1-4 1, Julie Schenck 1-2 0-0 2, Amanda Sheafer 4-13 1-2 9, Lindsey Perry 1-10 0-0 3, Maria Constanza 0-0 5-8 5, Stacie Kelly 0-4 0-0 0, Nicole Klobuchir 0-1 0-0 0, Nikki Porter 0-0 0-0 0, Brigid Hartnett 0-0 0-0 0, Ashley Cristiano 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 8-46 7-14 26.

MARS 53

Abby Marshall 2-11 0-0 6, Julie Utz 5-9 2-3 15, Megan Gibson 1-5 0-0 2, Maggie Bulman 1-4 0-2 2, Alina Hudac 1-1 0-0 2, Cara Hudac 1-3 0-0 2, Lily Grenci 8-10 4-4 20, Heather Carpenter 1-3 0-0 2, Karly Takach 1-2 0-0 2, Vanessa Pappas 0-0 0-0 0, Justine Funk 0-2 0-0 0, Ellen Kenitz 0-1 0-0 0, Laura Heltman 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 21-51 6-9 53.

3-point goals:

Edwards 2, Perry; Utz 3, Marshall 2.

Next:

WPIAL Class AAA Quarterfinals vs. Moon, date and site TBD