PITTSBURGH – The margin for error was a small one.

And on a day when the Mars girls basketball team needed to play a near-flawless game, it did not.

The Planets struggled all game to find a rhythm on offense in a 55-31 loss to Hopewell in a PIAA Class AAA quarterfinal playoff Saturday evening at Duquesne University's A.J. Palumbo Center.

Mars shot just 25 percent (11-of-44) from the field and committed 19 turnovers.

Those factors, along with Hopewell's balanced offense, brought the Planets' season to a close.

"I thought we played well in our half-court defense," said Planets coach Dave Sylvester. "We played behind them inside and didn't allow many lob passes. But what hurt us was the points they scored in transition."

It was the final six minutes of the first half that set the Planets up for defeat.

Mars senior guard Julie Utz scored a two-point basket with 6:08 left in the first half, tying the score at nine.

Hopewell then reeled off a 13-3 run the rest of the half, after which it led 22-12.

"It was nerves at the beginning of the game," said Vikings' coach Chris Raso. "That was the case for us in our first two (state) playoff games. But once we settled down and adjusted, we started making better decisions."

While Hopewell was making the right choices with the basketball, Mars was not. Six turnovers in the period allowed the Vikings to score easy points.

"We got caught on some fast breaks," said Sylvester. "(Hopewell) was able to make a nice run with that."

The Planets' chances became even smaller in the opening minutes of the second half.

Mars freshman Lily Grenci drew a foul and hit both free throws just seconds into the third quarter, cutting Hopewell's advantage to 22-14.

But the Vikings (28-3) soon pushed the lead back to double figures and Mars would never again cut its deficit to single digits.

The Planets (22-7) made just one of their 10 field goal attempts in the third quarter and trailed 36-18 with eight minutes remaining.

Hopewell's Joyce Novacek led all scorers with 16 points and teammate Jordan Zuppe tallied 15, including 10 in the first half.

"She (Zuppe) is my niece and I claim her when she plays well," Raso said with a smile. "She carried us for much of that first half."

Joyce Novacek stands 6-feet-2 and her sister, Becky, is 6-1. The latter scored eight points in the game.

"In all the films we watched, Mars liked to pressure teams out front," Raso said. "But we knew they would have trouble guarding our height."

Hopewell will face Moon, a 35-22 victor over Blue Mountain, on Wednesday in the state semifinals.

As for Mars, it was a memorable season for first-year coach Dave Sylvester.

The Planets won a section title and reached the state quarterfinals for the first time in over 10 years.

"The girls had a lot of obstacles, but they worked hard," said Sylvester. "It's a great bunch of girls and it was a great run."

Playing in their final game were seniors Julie Utz, Alina Hudac and Heather Carpenter.

MARS 31Abby Marshall 1 0-0 2, Julie Utz 3 2-4 9, Megan Gibson 1 0-0 2, Cara Hudac 1 0-0 2, Haley Geyer 1 0-0 3, Alina Hudac 1 0-0 3, Lily Grenci 2 2-2 6, Heather Carpenter 1 2-2 4, Maggie Bulman 0 0-0 0, Justine Funk 0 0-0 0.

Totals: 11 6-8 31.

HOPEWELL 55Kayla McLaughlin 3 3-4 9, Dana Radulovich 1 0-0 2, Becky Novacek 3 2-2 8, Jordan Zuppe 5 3-4 15, Joyce Novacek 6 4-8 16, Sarah Haluska 1 2-2 4, Nicole DeNardis 0 1-2 1, Hannah Hunter 0 0-0 0, Amanda Miller 0 0-0 0. Totals: 19 15-22 55.

Mars 4 8 6 13—31Hopewell 9 13 14 19—553-point goals: A. Hudac, Geyer, Utz; Zuppe 2.