ADAMS TWP — The Mars girls basketball team has found itself on the wrong end of a lot of close games this season.

The Planets finished the right way on Thursday night.

Randi Francis tallied a game-high 15 points and Mars earned a 41-35 victory over Kittanning in a mutual Section 1-AAA opener.

The Planets (3-8, 1-0) began the fourth quarter with a 28-27 edge and went on a 6-0 surge to start the frame on baskets from Ali Goetz, Francis and Sarah Getsey.

Kittanning (3-8, 0-1) didn't go away quietly, though, and the Wildcats cut it to 36-32 after an Emily Knepshield 3-pointer from the corner.

“We weren't sure how we were going to react to that 3,” said Mars coach Tony Howard. “But we kept our composure.”

Mars was clinging to a 36-33 edge with under a minute to play when Kittanning's Taylor Patterson missed a 3-point attempt. Francis corralled one of her seven rebounds on the night and was immediately fouled with 28.5 seconds remaining.

The 5-foot-8 senior was just 1 of 6 from the charity stripe as she stepped to the line for a one-and-one to potentially make it a two-possession game.

Francis calmly drained them both.

On the Planets' next possession, Francis fed Goetz, who converted a hoop while getting fouled to slam the door shut on the victory.

“It was great to see. ... They took this game like they wanted it,” said Howard. “It's the energy and passion we were looking for.”

Entering Thursday night, Mars was 1-6 in games decided by a single-digit margin, but the Planets put those difficult lessons to use against Kittanning.

“It was a well-earned — a needed — victory for us,” said Howard. “We played a pretty challenging preconference schedule. Really, I feel all but one game we competed in and gave ourselves chances to win.”

Kittanning is a young team with no seniors and just three juniors on the squad. The Wildcats are still trying to figure out how to get over the hump in late-game situations.

“We're real young and we're learning. All of these close games, so far we've been on the bad side of them, unfortunately,” said Kittanning coach Janelle Kotyk. “It's a learning experience, but we're going in the right direction.”

Kotyk praised the Planets' defensive effort, which made the comeback a much more difficult task.

“They make you work. Every basket is contested, they rebound hard and they block out hard,” Kotyk said. “I give them a lot of credit, they played a very sound defensive game.”

Despite nine first-half points from Patterson, Mars didn't allow a Wildcat to reach double figures. Knepshield also finished with nine for Kittanning, added a game-high five assists and pulled down nine rebounds.

Francis enjoyed a solid all-around game with five steals and three assists to go along with her 15 points and seven boards.

Goetz finished with nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds, while Teresa Dellatore kept Mars afloat in the third quarter with all five of her points. The junior also dished out a team-high four assists and had four steals.

Each Planet scored at least one basket and the balanced effort was a good sign to Howard.

“When we share the ball and spread out, I think we can be pretty decent offensively,” Howard said. “It's just getting the confidence for all of the girls to keep taking shots when they're there.”

KITTANNING 35Cassie Merryman 2-4 0-1 4, Kirsten Wolfe 2-6 3-6 7, Frankie Religa 2-6 1-3 5, Emily Knepshield 3-16 2-6 9, Taylor Patterson 3-6 0-0 9, Megan Cloak 0-1 1-2 1, Alaina Thomas 0-0 0-0 0.

Totals: 12-39 7-18 35.

MARS 41Teresa Dellatore 2-7 0-0 5, Ali Goetz 3-10 3-5 9, Alyssa Mathews 1-2 1-3 3, Brinsley Maughan-Evanson 1-2 0-0 2, Randi Francis 5-13 3-8 15, Sarah Getsey 2-5 0-0 4, Jessica Bunner 1-4 1-2 3.

Totals: 15-41 8-18 41.

Kittanning 12 10 5 8—35Mars 11 10 7 13—413-point goals: Kittanning 4-10 (Patterson 3-6, Knepshield 1-4); Mars 3-7 (Francis 2-4, Dellatore 1-2, Mathews 0-1).

JV Score: Kittanning 24, Mars 22

Monday: Mars at Highlands