WEXFORD — Alex Gruber has grown accustomed to his protective mask.

The junior forward for the Mars boys basketball team has worn the headgear to protect a broken nose suffered earlier in the season.

“It seems to be doing well for me,” Gruber said, sans mask, smiling.

It certainly didn't hurt him against Hampton in a PIAA seeding game at North Allegheny High School Thursday night.

Gruber hit four 3-pointers and scored 19 points in the first quarter to help Mars keep up with the equally hot-shooting Talbots and finished with 34 points in the 82-67 win for Mars.

Gruber said he had never had a quarter like that in his playing career.

“Absolutely not,” he said, smiling again. “I started out hot and it just kept going. My shots were just falling. I got confidence and it just went from there.”

Gruber had ample opportunities because Hampton came out in a defense designed to contain Robby Carmody and Christian Schmitt.

That left Gruber with open looks and he took advantage of them.

“What I loved, and this goes to the growth of our team, is we didn't have to take a timeout. They identified it,” said Mars coach Rob Carmody. “And Alex went crazy.”

Mars (24-2) and Hampton (20-6), playing each other for the third time this season and in a game that only determined who received the fifth or sixth seed out of seven state playoff spots in Class AAA, both went crazy shooting in the first half.

The two teams combined to hit 20 3-pointers in the first two quarters on just 28 attempts as Mars headed into the half with a 49-46 lead.

“We said to the kids, 'You just took about as big as a punch as you can possibly take, and somehow you're on the right side of it. You're not even behind,'” Carmody said.

In the second half, Hampton went in a shooting slump and Mars went inside to John Castello.

The Talbots were just 1-of-13 from the floor for two points in the third quarter as the Planets turned a close game into a 14-point lead.

“You're not going to win basketball games only scoring two points in a quarter,” said Hampton coach Joe Lafko.

Mars led by as many as 18 in the fourth quarter.

Castello, who had just two points in the first half, finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds for the Planets.

Despite both teams having locked up a state playoff berth, the game was hotly contested.

“It's better than a scrimmage,” Carmody said. “There's the rivalry and you get to play with the lights and the crowd. So, in that way, it's probably better than playing a Tuesday afternoon after school. You get the juices going a little bit.”

Mars will scrimmage Lincoln Park next week.

Gruber said he and his teammates are gearing up for the state playoffs after falling short of their WPIAL goals.

Mars will play the winner of the Somerset-Hollidaysburg game, which will be played Saturday, in the first round of the PIAA Class AAA playoffs March 6.

“This definitely gives us a boost for the state playoffs,” Gruber said. “We knew we had to bounce back. We couldn't keep that in our minds for too long. We had to move on eventually. The state playoffs is a bigger prize we want to reach.”

HAMPTON 67

Pat Murray 2-8 0-0 5, Joey Lafko 3-13 2-2 8, Jack Kramer 0-0 0-0 0, Jack Morrison 6-12 0-0 15, David Huber 2-7 0-0 6, Kyle Reese 0-0 1-2 1, Ben Huber 2-5 0-0 6, Matt Donnelly 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 21-57 12-15 67.

MARS 82

Alex Gruber 12-16 4-5 34, John Castello 7-8 0-0 14, Ryan Giallonardo 0-3 0-0 0, Christian Schmitt 2-5 0-0 4, Robby Carmody 3-9 6-7 13, Bailey Trzeciak 4-6 1-2 13, Aaron Gruber 0-0 0-0 0, Nate Sablowski 1-1 2-3 4. Totals: 29-48 13-15 82.

Hampton 27 19 2 19 — 67

Mars27 22 13 20 — 82

3-point goals: Hampton 13 (Murray, Lafko, Morrison 3, D. Huber 2, Ionadi 4, B. Huber 2); Mars 11 (Alex Gruber 6, Carmody, Trzeciak 4)

March 6: Mars vs. Somerset-Hollidaysburg winner