IMPERIAL — Momentum slipped from Mars’ grasp multiple times during Tuesday night’s WPIAL Class AAA boys basketball first-round playoff game against Steel Valley, but the Planets never wavered.

They withstood several blows from the Ironmen in the first and second half, then delivered a decisive uppercut in overtime, advancing to the quarterfinals with a 67-61 victory at West Allegheny High School.

“It takes toughness to win a game like this,” said Mars coach Rob Carmody. “I’m so proud of all the kids. It’s crazy to think that Steel Valley was a third-place team (in its section). We just made a few more plays at the end.

“This is what you expect out of an eight/nine (seeded) game,” he added. “What a great high school basketball game!”

Mars (15-8) will face top-seeded Chartiers Valley (22-1), a 95-62 winner over Mount Pleasant, on Friday at a site and time to be determined.

The Ironmen’s only lead in overtime came when Brandon Donovan sank a 3-pointer with 2:27 left, giving his team a 57-56 edge. Mars then dropped a 7-0 run on Steel Valley, handing the Ironmen a 63-57 deficit with 1:09 on the clock and they never recovered.

The run included a clutch rebound from Mars sophomore center John Castello after a missed free throw from teammate Alex Gruber. The former was fouled, went to the free-throw line and made 1-of-2, making it a two-possession game (61-57) with 1:41 remaining.

Gruber redeemed himself by scoring a basket with 33 seconds left and hitting two free throws for a six-point lead with just 13.5 seconds remaining.

Gruber scored 16 points in the game, 14 of them coming in the fourth quarter and overtime. His free throw with 3:23 left in the fourth tied the game at 54. Both teams then went scoreless for the rest of regulation.

“This was just his sixth game back from an ankle injury,” said Carmody of Gruber. “His points and rebounds tonight were so big for us.”

Steel Valley saw its arsenal dwindle once the overtime period began. Senior guard Ajan Smith, who led all scorers with 26 points, fouled out with 1:42 on the clock. Forward Dominique Keyes (14 points) and guard Dorian Broadwater were also forced to the bench during the extra time.

“Losing those guys definitely affected us,” said Steel Valley coach Rod Steele. “It affected our style of play. But we had opportunities to win this game.”

One of those chances came as the final seconds of regulation drained from the clock. With the game tied at 54, Steel Valley (15-5) forced a Planet turnover with 27.5 seconds left. But the Ironmen’s attempt to end the game with a shot in the paint bounced off the rim with three seconds remaining. Castello corralled the rebound, but the Planets were unable to put up a shot of their own as time expired.

Smith was a thorn in Mars’ side during regulation, but missed his two field goal attempts in overtime before fouling out of the game.

“We knew coming in that there would be matchup problems for us,” said Carmody. “Smith is a guard, but he’s 6-4 and weighs about 190 pounds. He’s a beast and is so smooth with the ball. Nobody has an answer for him.”

The Planets led by as many as nine points (39-31) late in the third period, but the Ironmen closed the quarter on a 10-0 run and led 41-39 entering the fourth period.

“Steel Valley thrives on big runs,” said Mars senior guard Owen Nearhoof, who scored 18 points, including four in overtime. “But if there was any sense of doubt, we needed to get rid of it. We weren’t thinking about it during the game, but this win came down to all the hard work we put in this year.”

Castello paced Mars with 25 points.

STEEL VALLEY 61

Ajan Smith 9 8-14 26, Dorian Broadwater 1 2-2 4, Ryan McCallister 1 0-0 3, Brandon Donovan 1 0-0 3, Kennedy Smith 3 2-2 8, Jackson Majernik 0 1-2 1, Dominique Keyes 7 0-0 14, Tyler Lewis 0 2-2 2, Dylan Smith 0 0-0 0, Derek Taylor 0 0-0 0, Jeff Wise 0 0-0 0. Totals: 22 15-22 61.

MARS 67

Alex Gruber 4 8-11 16, Owen Nearhoof 5 7-8 18, John Castello 10 5-8 25, Ethan Lewis 1 1-4 4, Christian Schmitt 1 0-1 2, Nick DeCamp 1 0-0 2, Austin Fetsko 0 0-0 0, Nate Sablowski 0 0-0 0, Bailey Trzeciak 0 0-0 0. Totals: 22 21-32 67.

Steel Valley 10 13 18 13 7 — 61

Mars9 19 11 15 13 — 67

3-point goals: Steel Valley 2 (McCallister, Donovan); Mars 2 (Nearhoof, Lewis).

Friday: Mars vs. Chartiers Valley, WPIAL Class AAA quarterfinal, TBD