In Mars boys basketball’s win vs West Allegheny, Ethan Kresinski and Ben Detisch are proving to be a handful
ADAMS TWP — Ethan Kresinski made a hard drive from the right wing into the paint with less than five minutes to play.
Denied getting to the rim, he turned, stumbled and flipped a pass to Ben Detisch, who fired a 3-pointer from just right of the top of the key.
The bucket effectively shut the door on visiting West Allegheny and epitomized the contributions of Mars’ 6-foot-2 and 6-foot-6 bigs during Friday night’s 62-51 WPIAL Section 4-5A victory.
Physical, tough and the aggressors in an contentious rivalry game that saw the Planets improve to 5-1, 2-0.
“Ethan was a great pickup for us as a football player, it’s hard to replicate that physicality,” Mars head coach Kobe Phillippi said. “That type of physicality that you bring on the floor, it also radiates (to the rest of the team).”
Detisch battled for his team-leading 22 points and seven rebounds, doing nearly all his damage in the second half while punishing WA (4-3, 1-2) in the paint with put-backs and a couple post-ups. Kresinski came off the bench with six points and seven boards, putting together an impressive stretch in the first half with a couple strong grabs off the glass, a tough bucket in the lane and a couple lock-down defensive stops on agile Indians Donovan O’Connor and Kingston Henke.
“On offense, just getting it to the rim, just playing downhill,” Detisch said. “All day, just crash offensive boards, no one’s bigger than us.”
The two bigs were a handful all night for WA, which could not match their size. O’Connor comes close — the 6-foot-5 quarterback and coach’s son dropped a game-high 25 points on 8 of 15 shooting with a mix of drives and spot-up 3s. He also snagged 11 rebounds. And sniper Josiah Johnson went on a third-quarter heater with four 3s, but he was otherwise contained.
If the Planets continue to play with the same edge, they believe they will be a handful in a difficult section.
“Amazing, gotta beat Montour on Monday (at PPG Paints Arena), though,” Detisch said of being 2-0 in the section.
At first, it looked like standout Mars guard Austen Wroblewski (averaging 18.2 points coming in) would again have a big game as he made two early buckets, including a nifty under-the-rim flip that he spun off the glass while running the opposite way.
But once Kresinski checked in, the style shifted. Against quicker guards and wings, he didn’t give up an inch. And he battled for loose balls and rebounds against O’Connor and West Allegheny’s forwards.
His last play led to foul shots in the fourth quarter. He made a hard drive to the rim, where he landed hard after he was fouled and appeared to smack his head off the ground. He exited and Nick Santoro made his free throws. Phillippi said Kresinski would be good to go before Monday’s game.
Detisch went to the line 12 times in the second half, making 4 of 7 in the third quarter alone as the offense briefly stalled. His late 3 didn’t come as a surprise, though, as he’s averaging around 40% from range and “has the green light,” Phillippi said.
“That’s what makes him kind of dangerous. ... He doesn’t shoot a ton, but when he does it’s usually a good shot for us.”
While Mars led much of the game, the Indians briefly took the lead in the third quarter on Johnson’s barrage from downtown. His third of the quarter put WA up 36-35. Wroblewski, who finished with 13 points, responded with a stepback jumper, then Johnson nailed his final trey with about 30 seconds left in the frame.
But that was as tense as it got for the Planets.
“Just understanding that it’s gonna happen,” Detisch said. “Keeping our composure and staying poised.”
Mars won the rebound battle 30-23 and forced 10 turnovers to its six.
WEST ALLEGHENY 51
D. St. Surin 1-1 0-0 2, J. Johnson 4-10 0-0 12, K. Henke 2-9 1-2 5, D. O’Connor 8-15 5-6 25, A. Boyle-Wilk 0-1 0-2 0, S. Siciliano 2-4 0-0 4, C. Jackson 0-0 3-4 3, S. Cunningham 0-5 0-0 0, E. Police 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 17-43 9-14 51.
MARS 62
C. Thimons 2-4 4-4 9, N. Santoro 1-3 4-4 6, A. Wroblewski 5-13 2-2 13, S. Miller 2-6 0-0 4, B. Detisch 6-9 9-12 22, A. Petcash 1-3 0-0 2, E. Kresinski 3-7 0-0 6, B. Brennan 0-0 0-0 0, K. Garvin 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 20-46 19-22 62.
West Allegheny 9 10 20 12 — 51
Mars 13 12 12 25 — 62
3-point goals: West Allegheny 8 (J. Johnson 4, D. O’Connor 4), Mars 3 (C. Thimons, A. Wroblewski, B. Detisch)
Monday: Mars at Montour
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Mars’ Ethan Kresinski (15) takes it to the rim against West Allegheny in a boys basketball game Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, at Mars High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Mars’ Ben Detisch (35) shoots over West Allegheny’s Samuel Siciliano (10) in a boys basketball game Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, at Mars High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Mars’ Nicholas Santoro (4) drives the ball past West Allegheny’s Josiah Johnson (4) in a boys basketball game Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, at Mars High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Mars’ Austen Wroblewski (5) shoots over West Allegheny's Darcy St. Surin (1) in a boys basketball game Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, at Mars High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Mars’ Ben Detisch (35) takes it to the rim against West Allegheny in a boys basketball game Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, at Mars High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Mars defeated West Allegheny 62-51 in a boys basketball game Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, at Mars High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Mars’ Austen Wroblewski (5) shoots over Darcy St. Surin (1) in a boys basketball game Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, at Mars High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Mars defeated West Allegheny 62-51 in a boys basketball game Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, at Mars High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Mars’ Chase Thimons (2) passes the ball defender in a boys basketball game Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, at Mars High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Mars defeated West Allegheny 62-51 in a boys basketball game Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, at Mars High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Mars defeated West Allegheny 62-51 in a boys basketball game Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, at Mars High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Mars defeated West Allegheny 62-51 in a boys basketball game Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, at Mars High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Mars’ Ben Detisch (35) shoots over West Allegheny’s Samuel Siciliano (10) in a boys basketball game Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, at Mars High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Mars defeated West Allegheny 62-51 in a boys basketball game Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, at Mars High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Mars’ Nicholas Santoro (4) drives the ball past West Allegheny’s Josiah Johnson (4) in a boys basketball game Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, at Mars High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Mars defeated West Allegheny 62-51 in a boys basketball game Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, at Mars High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Mars defeated West Allegheny 62-51 in a boys basketball game Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, at Mars High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Mars’ Ethan Kresinski (15) takes it to the rim in a boys basketball game Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, at Mars High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Mars’ Adam Petcash (0) shoots over a West Allegheny defender in a boys basketball game Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, at Mars High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Mars defeated West Allegheny 62-51 in a boys basketball game Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, at Mars High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Mars defeated West Allegheny 62-51 in a boys basketball game Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, at Mars High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Mars defeated West Allegheny 62-51 in a boys basketball game Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, at Mars High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Mars’ Ben Detisch (35) takes it to the rim in a boys basketball game Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, at Mars High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Mars defeated West Allegheny 62-51 in a boys basketball game Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, at Mars High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Mars’ Adam Petcash (0) takes it to the rim in a boys basketball game Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, at Mars High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Mars defeated West Allegheny 62-51 in a boys basketball game Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, at Mars High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Mars’ Brady Brennan (23) celebrates after a scoring basket in a boys basketball game Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, at Mars High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Mars’ Ben Detisch (35) takes it to the rim in a boys basketball game Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, at Mars High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Mars’ Chase Thimons (2) drives the ball past West Allegheny’s Josiah Johnson (4) in a boys basketball game Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, at Mars High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Mars defeated West Allegheny 62-51 in a boys basketball game Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, at Mars High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Mars defeated West Allegheny 62-51 in a boys basketball game Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, at Mars High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
