ADAMS TWP — Getting its home slate underway, the Mars girls basketball team wanted to rebound from a 62-42 defeat at South Fayette on Saturday. Judging from its 60-12 blowout loss to section opponent Indiana its last time out, Fox Chapel seemed like an easy enough win.

Planets coach Dana Petruska knew better.

Her team got off to a slow start, playing a shaky first eight minutes rife with turnovers and fouls Monday night before putting together a 65-59 win.

Paired with a strong first-quarter showing from the visitors' Skylar Barnes, it was the reason Mars (2-0, 5-1) was looking up at the Foxes at the start of the second frame.

“I told them this was going to happen,” Petruska said. “(My team) took (Fox Chapel) lightly. Obviously, this is why you play the game. It's a good lesson for them to learn, because they weren't real focused at the beginning of this game. And I think it showed in the way we started.”

Coming off of the decisive loss, Fox Chapel (0-2, 2-3) coach Marty Matvey's inexperienced group was out to prove that such a defeat wouldn't become a theme.

“I don't think we showed how good we could be, despite only returning one kid and being all freshmen and sophomores,” Matvey said. “We knew we were better than that and we wanted to show that tonight.”

Aided by an eight-point quarter by senior and Carnegie Mellon commit Ava Black, Mars got its wheels turning and claimed a lead halfway into the quarter that it wouldn't give back.

“We woke up,” Petruska said.

It also helped that the Foxes' Byrnes got into foul trouble and watched from the bench for parts of a second half in which she wouldn't connect from the field.

“If she doesn't have any fouls, we keep one of our best scorers on the floor,” Matvey said.

Black, who hurt her knee in the summer and has been easing her way back into things, added another ten points. She'd finish with a season-high 26 on the night.

“She's pretty much done that her whole four years,” Petruska said. “She's very talented.”

After the guests' Isabella Barbour's jumper pulled the Foxes back within a basket with 5:32 remaining, their defense broke down.

Mars' Veta Vargo would come out of a timeout to sink a three and then score another layup off an ensuing Fox Chapel turnover.

“Those were the make-or-break plays,” Matvey said.

In fact, the Foxes wouldn't score again for over three minutes, as their hopes to get back even evaporated and Mars built as much as a nine-point advantage.

Junior Lauren Atwell helped with six points off the bench in the second half.

Four of the Foxes' five starters put up double digits.

“With a young group, I couldn't be more pleased with the fight that they showed collectively together tonight,” he said.

FOX CHAPEL 59

Skylar Byrnes 6 6-12 18, Elsie Smith 4 4-4 14, Isabella Barbour 5 1-3 11, Brooke Fenton 4 0-0 10, Bella Urso 2 2-4 6. Totals: 21 13-23 59.

MARS 65

Ava Black 9 6-7 26, Veta Vargo 4 0-1 10, Kaitlyn Pelaia 2 3-4 7, Olivia Donnelly 3 0-0 7, Lauren Atwell 3 0-0 6, Kylee Fredrick 2 0-0 5, Alexa McDole 1 2-2 4. Totals: 24 13-16 65.

Fox Chapel 16 9 17 17 — 59

Mars 16 16 17 16 — 65

3-point goals: Fox Chapel 4 (Fenton 2, Smith 2); Mars 4 (Vargo 2, Donnelly, Fredrick)

Wednesday: Knoch at Mars