ADAMS TWP — With the pandemonium of victory subsiding, the sirens of a police escort down Route 228 no longer piercing the early morning air, Mars girls basketball coach Dana Petruska finally had a moment to herself — a time to reflect on her team's state championship victory.

It didn't take long, though, for her coach's instinct to kick back in.

“We got home a little after 2:30 (a.m.), and we watched the game. You miss those little things, and you start taking mental notes and seeing the things we did wrong and what we'll work on the next time we're in the gym,” she joked Thursday morning.

All told, the Planets did little wrong during Wednesday's 36-33 victory over Archbishop Wood in the PIAA Class 5A championship game at the Giant Center in Hershey. The win capped a season in which the team finished 24-6 and earned their first state championship.

It was a long time coming since the team's first and only previous appearance in a state title game in 1977, when they lost to Carbondale, 62-42, in the 2A championship game. Carol Devenzio, who served as coach from 1966-1977, was happy to see this year's team claim gold.

“They went into a game with a team that was highly favored, who had overwhelming advantages in height and strength and experience, and they just never quit,” she said.

The game of girls basketball has changed drastically since Devenzio patrolled the sidelines, in part due to Title IX rules, and she said she was thrilled to see the excitement and support the Mars team received this season.

“When I coached, it was a wonderful time to be coaching,” she said. “The parents were thrilled to have their kids involved, and it was a very positive time in the evolution of the game. To see that support with this team, I'm just so excited for them.”

For Petruska, the feelings haven't yet fully registered.

“It's hard to explain,” she said as she took a break from viewing the game film for a third time. “I can't say enough about (the team's) grit and their willingness to leave it on the court.”

However, it's the efforts before the game and off the court of which Petruska is most proud.

“I let everyone know just how intelligent my team is,” she said. “Sometimes when you get kids that smart, they can be limited on common sense, but not this team.”

It's that intelligence and the ability to stay focused on the task at hand that ultimately made the team successful, Petruska said. She said she and her assistant coaches threw a seemingly endless stream of information at the team in the lead up to Wednesday's game, including scouting reports, tendencies and players to watch. Her team took that information and put it to use.

“They looked like they were in the classroom on the court, pointing and talking,” she said. “I'm so proud of how they retained all of that.”

Petruska said while the championship victory is rewarding, she has learned since she began coaching in the 1980s that victories aren't the most important thing.

“It's a great honor and a great feat, but it's the little things we all take for granted,” she said. “You realize that there is a lot more to what we do here than win championships.”

Leigh Ann Shankel, an assistant coach and former player of Petruska, knows that to be true.

“When you're a kid living in the moment, it's cool to be riding a bus and seeing elementary school kids making posters,” she said. “But a couple years go by and you realize how awesome it really was.”

A 2004 Mars graduate, Shankel and fellow assistant coach Ashley Phillips played on a team that helped Petruska earn her 200th win, as well as her first section title. Shankel said there are ironic similarities between the teams, including the makeup of the roster and how the season played out.

“We won two playoff games by a few buckets, and it was a crazy ride,” she said.

Despite that success, Phillips said her memories of those games aren't as vivid as she wants them to be.

“There are so many things I don't remember,” she said. “We played at the (A.J.) Palumbo Center, and I remember playing the game, but I don't remember walking into the stadium and the details.”

As coaches, Shankel and Phillips have helped Petruska earn her 400th win and a state title, and said they hope they have imparted upon the team how important it is to appreciate the moment.

“It's been cool to have that experience to grab them by the shirt and say 'take this all in,'” she said. “It's an experience you can look back on as an adult. That's the good stuff in life, win or lose.”

It's a message and lesson the team heard loud and clear.

“As soon as we left ... the coaches told us to take it all in, and experience every little moment,” said senior Lauren Wasylson.

Those moments included a trip to Hershey Park, as well as the chance to support their male counterparts as they played for their own state title. Though the outcome of that game wasn't desired, it served as another valuable lesson.

“We were in awe of the Giant Center because it's a big place and different from other high school settings,” she said. “We took it all in and embraced the opportunity and it definitely helped us.”

After accepting the championship trophy and making the trek back to Butler County, Wasylson and her teammates were met by a police escort, which took them from Cranberry Township back to the school.

“The kids were all excited — screaming and crying and just in awe of all of that,” Petruska said.

On Thursday, with sleep deprivation overridden by their excitement, Wasylson and her teammates took advantage of the district's spring break and got breakfast together — while wearing their championship medals, of course. It was one more in a season's worth of memories.

“When I'm 34 years old I'll look back and say wow, my team was amazing,” she said. “The bond we have, the memories we've made — they'll never go away. We'll live forever in Mars history.”