LATROBE – Experience has a way of showing itself.

In a WPIAL Class 5A girls basketball first-round playoff matchup at Latrobe Tuesday night, it played its part in costing Mars.

Entering the final frame with the score knotted at 50, the Planets watched as the weathered Lady Wildcats powered to a 67-62 victory.

“They went out and they responded and kept their composure very well in the fourth quarter,” Latrobe coach Mark Burkhardt said of his team’s effort down the stretch. “I don’t think we made any bad mistakes. We possessed the ball, we ran our offenses, and finished a lot of our easy shots.”

Easy shots came early and often for the host team. Starting forwards Emma Blair (19 points) and Anna Rafferty (15), returners from last year’s group that reached the WPIAL semifinals, made a living in the paint and combined for over half of the Lady Wildcats’ offensive output. The pair averaged a double-double in the regular season.

Each of the Planet starters notched at least one bucket in the first quarter, but Latrobe (18-3) created some distance with an 11-2 run in the second, aided by Mars’ offensive troubles.

“We stopped switching the (Mars) screens,” Burkhardt said of the defensive adjustment. “Because when you switch the screen, you usually go under it and there’s more room for the shooter … That made it harder for them to get the open looks.”

Foul trouble reared its head, too, for the Planets (17-6). Junior guard Alexa McDole sat for most of the first quarter and a half. Senior Kaitlyn Pelaia was also forced to watch for a considerable amount of time.

Ava Black, who tied the game-high with 19 points, kept her team in the game by bucketing 10 in the second period. She also battled down low all night, trying to keep Blair and Rafferty at bay.

“She’s been the rock,” Mars coach Dana Petruska said of Black. “I dread next year, because there’s nobody to replace what she gives you inside.”

Once the Planets clamped down, it opened up things outside for sophomore Elle Watson. She pitched in with another 17 points, including a buzzer-beating trey to close the third quarter. The make ripped the momentum away from Mars, which had stormed back from 11 points down at halftime.

“We have four that played a lot of playoff basketball last year,” Burkhardt said. “Our section made us playoff-tested, I think.”

Winners of 14 of their last 15, the Lady Wildcats advance to play South Fayette in the quarterfinals. Mars heads home to regroup and ready for next winter.

“I’m sad it’s over,” Petruska said. “I feel bad for my seniors. But after 36 years, it’s life. It will just make you stronger.”

MARS 62

Ava Black 8 3-4 19, Vita Vargo 4 4-4 13, Olivia Donnelly 4 2-3 12, Alexa McDole 3 0-0 8, Kaitlyn Pelaia 3 1-2 8, Kylee Fredericks 1 0-0 2. Totals: 23 10-13 62.

LATROBE 67

Emma Blair 8 3-6 19, Elle Snyder 5 3-7 17, Anna Rafferty 6 3-4 15, Camille Dominick 4 5-5 14, Bailey Watson 0 2-2 2, Baylee Bodnar 0 0-1 0. Totals: 23 16-25 67.

Mars 20 12 18 12 – 62

Latrobe 21 19 10 17 – 67

3-point goals: Mars 6 (Donnelly 2, McDole 2, Vargo, Pelaia); Latrobe 5 (Snyder 4, Dominick)