Mars' Hailey Long works her way down the field with the ball from the 50 tonight with a Hampton defender in pursuit in their match up at Mars Area High School. Ed Thompson/Butler Eagle 4/4/2024

Ed Thompson

Mars girls lacrosse’s quest for yet another WPIAL title is off to a smooth start.

The No. 1 Planets cruised past Oakland Catholic 23-1 Wednesday night in the first round of the WPIAL Class 2A tournament, setting up a semifinal date Monday with No. 4 Blackhawk.

Hailey Long scored a game-high eight goals (and had eight draw controls), and Katie Blake added five in a dominant performance.

“We wanted to make a statement on this first game,” Mars coach Abby Latona said. “We haven’t played Oakland Catholic on this first game. ... Use our depth on attack and finish, and they absolutely did do that as well as locking down on defense.”

Anna McGrath scored three goals, produced five assists and have five draw controls. Ella Roach stopped five shots in the cage.

“Just a really good team win,” Latona said.

Mars beat Blackhawk in April 16-7 but expects a tighter contest against a team that beat No. 5 Hampton in Wednesday’s other quarterfinal.

“We’ve played Blackhawk the last few years, it’s always a competitive game,” Latona said.