ADAMS TWP — So this is what the Mars boys basketball team is capable of?

If so, the Planets just have to carry it into section play.

Senior Steve Cress (26 points) and junior Vinny Smith (20) combined for 46 points as the Planets toppled Northgate 75-59 Wednesday in the opening round of the Mars Holiday Tournament.

The Planets (6-5) face Sto-Rox at 6 p.m. today in the championship game.

In the girls title game, Mars will play North Catholic at 8 tonight. The Planets advanced by beating Ford City 46-39 in overtime.

Cress' and Smith's 46 points are the most the two have combined for this season. Their previous best was 42 points in a game against Peters Township earlier this month.

"Tonight, (Northgate) tried to play zone against us, and Vinny does a great job of finding dead spots in the zone," said Mars coach Rob Carmody.

The result was one open jumper after another for Smith, who has scored at least 16 points in six of the first 11 games. He averaged 10.2 points per game last year.

"During the offseason, I shot around almost every day and I lifted a lot of weights and put on 20 pounds. I'm now up to 215," said the 6-foot-5 Smith.

"I'm pleased with the improvement I've seen not only in myself, but also the team," added Smith. "Hopefully, we can keep this going."

The Planets are currently 2-2 in Section 1-AAA play.

Their next section contest comes Jan. 4 at Indiana, followed by games against Knoch, Highlands, Hampton and Valley — all playoff-caliber teams.

"We just have to play with more consistency," said Cress. "Vinny and I are both capable of having games like we did tonight. And that's what we need, especially against teams that we have a size advantage on."

Dave Petruska added 12 points for the Planets.

Northgate (5-4) was led by Dan Webster's 17 points.

Girls Basketball Mars 46, Ford City 39

When it comes to clutch baskets, it's better late than never.

Mars (5-5) failed to score a point in the final 4:18 of regulation, watching a 37-27 lead evaporate into a four-minute overtime period.

But that's when the Planets finally hit their stride, outscoring Ford City 9-2 for the win.

Junior Lily Grenci led all scorers with 22 points, with five of them coming in the extra period.

"Lily's coming a long way when it comes to leadership," said Mars coach Tony Howard. "As much as we want her to pass the ball, sometimes we need her to score. And she's got that scorer's mentality."

Elaine Hasek and Ellen Kenitz also contributed key baskets in overtime.

The Sabers, on the other hand, didn't receive overtime points until Lynzee Panchik's layup with under a minute remaining.

Grenci was the only player in double figures in points at halftime (13) as Mars held a 19-14 edge.

Kelsey Ferguson scored all eight of her points in the second half.

"Kelsey was matched up on (6-foot-3) Marisa Wolfe and I believe she was held to (two points) in the second half," said Howard. "That's something that won't show up in the boxscore, but Kelsey played unbelievably."

Tara Powers led Ford City (7-5) with 15 points.

BoysNORTHGATE 59Michael Lee 6 2-8 14, Dylan DiDomenico 2 1-2 5, Anthony Luster 3 0-0 6, Bill Quinn 0 7-8 7, Dan Webster 5 5-8 17, Doug Regrut 2 0-0 4, Tom Cobaugh 3 0-0 6.

Totals: 21 15-26 59.

MARS 75Steve Cress 10 6-7 26, Vinny Smith 10 0-1 20, Chris Herold 1 1-2 3, Dave Petruska 4 2-2 12, Alec Mahon 1 2-2 4, Dante Detillio 2 0-0 5, Christian Locher 2 0-0 5, Ben Szilogy 0 0-2 0, Luke Gruber 0 0-2 0, Justin Stadelmyer 0 0-0 0, Brandon Stadelmyer 0 0-0 0, Brody Evanson 0 0-0 0.

Totals: 30 11-18 75.

Northgate 12 12 13 22—59Mars 19 17 20 19—753-point goals: Northgate 2 (Webster 2); Mars 4 (Petruska 2, Detillio, Locher).

Today: Mars Holiday Tournament Championship Game: Mars vs. Sto-Rox, 6 p.m.

GirlsFORD CITY 39Tara Powers 3 9-12 15, Lynzee Panchik 5 1-2 13, Marisa Wolfe 2 5-6 9, Rachel Good 1 0-1 2, Julie Hileman 0 0-0 0, Krystal Dudas 0 0-0 0, Elizabeth Shiring 0 0-0 0, Ashlee Panchik 0 0-0 0.

Totals: 11 15-21 39.

MARS 46Lily Grenci 7 8-9 22, Tori Gressang 1 0-0 2, Elaine Hasek 1 0-0 2, Ellen Kenitz 3 0-0 6, Kelsey Ferguson 4 0-1 8, Alexa Lee 1 0-0 2, Kehle Pelles 2 0-0 4, Ashley Lynch 0 0-0 0.

Totals: 19 8-10 46.

Ford City 5 9 11 12 2—39Mars 6 13 10 8 9—463-point goals: Ford City 2 (L. Panchik 2).

Today: Mars Holiday Tournament Championship Game: Mars vs. North Catholic, 8 p.m.