ADAMS TWP — For a moment Wednesday night, it appeared Knoch's girls basketball squad would win on the road at Mars for the first time since 2009.

The Planets' Alexa McDole and Ava Black made sure that wouldn't happen, collaborating for all 14 of the hosts' fourth-quarter points and sending the Knights away by a 54-49 score.

Mars (6-1) had commanded for virtually all of the first three quarters. Both times that Knoch (3-2) was able to grab the lead in that time, the Planets swiftly took it back. The Knights kept on the hosts' heels, though, thanks in part to the trey. Junior Hattie McGraw and Nina Shaw and senior Madilyn Boyer each sunk threes in a first quarter where their team went four-of-seven from behind the arc.

Shaw, the team's point guard, got into foul trouble in the opening frame, leading to the visitors' hot hand cooling in the second.

Mars couldn't leave them in the dust, though. In fact, both teams struggled in the frame, with the Knights going three-for-10 from the field and the Planets four-for-15.

McDole's buzzer-beating jumper gave Mars a 29-26 lead at the intermission before Knoch's Boyer's eight-point third quarter aided in evening the scoreboard at 40 heading into the final eight minutes.

Boyer gave the guests the edge early in the fourth with a pair of buckets.

“My thought process is don't let it get to any more,” Mars coach Dana Petruska said, “We dug down and played, I thought, some really good defense.”

Part of the improvement was due to Petruska switching junior Lauren Atwell on to guard Boyer. The Knights would only hit from the floor twice more before McDole and Black took over.

“33 (Boyer) seemed to be a little on her heels with (Atwell) being out there against her,” Petruska said.

The Knights were up four after Shaw's and-one. After a pair of shots by the Planets' duo, Mars took the lead with 1:52 left and never looked back.

“We like to get to a lead with three minutes (left), because once we get down there, we can control the ball,” Knoch coach Chris Andreassi said. “We're pretty good at icing games when we have a lead, but it slipped away from us.”

Boyer finished with a game-high 22 points for the Knights, the second time in as many contests that she'd netted at least 20.

The Planets have now beaten Knoch 15 out of their past 16 meetings.

“It's nice to get wins with our biggest rivalries,” Petruska said.

KNOCH 49

Madilyn Boyer 7 5-7 22, Nina Shaw 3 1-1 8, Hattie McGraw 3 0-0 8, Serenity Kosecki 2 1-2 6, Mackenzie McGraw 1 0-1 3, Karlee Buterbaugh 1 0-0 2. Totals: 17 7-11 49.

MARS 56

Alexa McDole 7 2-2 20, Ava Black 4 8/9 16, Veta Vargo 2 3-4 9, Olivia Donnelly 3 0-0 7, Kaitlyn Pelaia 1 0-0 2. Totals: 17 13-15 54.

Knoch 16 10 14 9 — 49

Mars 19 10 11 14 — 54

3-point goals: Knoch 8 (Boyer 3, H. McGraw 2, M. McGraw, Shaw, Kosecki); Mars 7 (McDole 4, Vargo 2, Donnelly)

Tuesday: Mars at Highlands

Jan. 3: Knoch at Derry Area