Mars uses timely 17-0 run to bounce McDevitt, 80-62
ALTOONA — Basketball is a game of runs, but only a few are as decisive as the one Mars dropped on Bishop McDevitt Tuesday night.
In a five-minute stretch that spanned the second and third quarters, the Planets landed a 17-0 uppercut from which the Crusaders never recovered.
Bishop McDevitt never got closer than 12 points afterward as Mars clinched its first appearance in the state title game with a resounding 80-62 victory in a PIAA Class AAA semifinal at Altoona High School.
Steve Castello's 3-pointer with 17 seconds left in the first half gave the Planets a 40-33 edge at intermission. It was still a manageable deficit for the Crusaders, but the Planets then scored the first 10 points of the third quarter.
“One thing we've done well all year, and I think it has to due with the fact that we have a lot of seniors with so much experience, is we come in at halftime and figure out this and that that we can do a bit better,” said Mars coach Rob Carmody.
“Our aggregate scoring in the third quarter this season is incredible. We knew they (Crusaders) were going to come out swinging in the second half, but that run was big. It was very important for us to extend our lead.”
“We laid an egg at the wrong time,” said McDevitt coach Mike Gaffey. “We had 15 (game) tapes on Mars and could tell from watching them that they are good defensively. But they played very well tonight, forced some big turnovers.”
Mars' effort included shooting 61 percent (25-of-41) from the field.
The Planets (23-6) will face defending PIAA champion Neumann-Goretti, a 76-69 victor over Imhotep Charter, in the PIAA final at 8 p.m. Friday at Hershey's Giant Center.
While the Planets' balanced scoring certainly did its part to eliminate McDevitt — Robby Carmody, Christian Schmitt, John Castello and Steve Castello all scored in double figures — the Planets' defense frustrated the Crusader offense for key stretches of the game.
McDevitt forward James Williams, who scored 35 points and had 24 rebounds in a quarterfinal win over New Castle on Friday, did lead all scorers Tuesday with 26. But 12 of those came after the Planets had taken a stranglehold on the game.
Mars made its first seven field goals of the game, but Williams scored 10 points in the opening period as the Planets held a modest 20-18 lead.
For the next two quarters, however, Mars' defense clamped down on the 6-foot-4 senior.
“Our guys get after it on defense,” said coach Carmody. “We did a better job of getting in our gaps and didn't allow him to get many passes. Our weak-side help was in a good position.”
“We knew they were athletic, but they weren't much of a threat from the outside,” said Steve Castello. “That allowed us to sag our defense a bit.”Steve Castello hit four 3-pointers in the game, including three in the first half. He scored 17 in Mars' quarterfinal win over Highlands.“He's ready to catch and shoot,” said Coach Carmody of Castello. “I love the confidence he's played with over the last few games.”Already with a commanding 56-41 lead entering the fourth period, the Planets iced the game from the foul line, making 16 free throws in the final eight minutes.For the game, Mars was 25-of-40 from the stripe, including 11-of-14 from Schmitt. Meanwhile, the Crusaders (23-7) were just 7-of-8.“This is the 11th or 12th straight game where we've held an opponent under their scoring average for the season,” said Coach Carmody. “That's not easy to do.”John Castello added 10 rebounds for Mars while Nick Gemmell scored 10 points for McDevitt.BISHOP MCDEVITT 62Bryce Hall 3 2-2 9, Alex Marsico 1 0-0 2, Nick Gemmell 3 2-2 10, James Williams 12 2-2 26, Kobay White 2 1-2 5, Joe Joe Headen 4 0-0 8, Chris Briner 1 0-0 2, Tim Kater 0 0-0 0, Jody Morales 0 0-0 0. Totals: 26 7-8 62.MARS 80John Castello 7 2-4 16, Steve Castello 5 0-0 14, Ryan Giallonardo 0 2-2 2, Aaron Gruber 0 2-4 2, Alex Gruber 4 0-2 8, Christian Schmitt 3 11-14 18, Robby Carmody 6 8-10 20, Sam Morrissey 0 0-2 0, Bailey Trzeciak 0 0-2 0, Nate Sablowski 0 0-0 0, Brent Ashbaugh 0 0-0 0. Totals: 25 25-40 80.Bishop McDevitt 18 15 8 21 — 62Mars20 20 16 24 — 803-point goals: Bishop McDevitt 3 (Gemmell 2, Hall); Mars 5 (S. Castello 4, Schmitt).Friday: Mars vs. Neumann-Goretti, PIAA Class AAA Championship Game, Giant Center in Hershey, 8 p.m.
