Sullen Setback: Mars drops heartbreaker
ADAMS TWP — Mihali Sfanos was the obvious choice to take the final shot — and he came painfully close to delivering for the Mars boys basketball team Friday night.
With the Planets trailing Highlands 52-51 with just nine seconds remaining in the game, Mars got the ball to its star senior guard, who had already scored 22 points in the game.
Sfanos dribbled around the top of the key, from left to right, then made his move toward the basket, putting up a shot that glanced off the glass and bounced on the rim twice before falling the wrong way for the Planets.
Neither team was able to control the rebound as time expired and Mars (3-1, 2-1) was dealt its first loss of the season.
“We knew we were in the double-bonus and Mihali had done a good job of getting to the rim tonight,” Mars coach Rob Carmody said of his strategy, talked about during a timeout prior to the final possession. “I think everybody thought that shot was going to fall, but it spun out.”
Highlands, which had numerous games postponed or canceled, was playing its first game of the season.
“It’s a game of centimeters,” said Highlands coach Tyler Stoczynski. “I had to hold my breath there for a second. This was two good teams battling and we’re thankful to come out on top.”
The Golden Rams had taken the decisive lead when Jimmy Kunst hit a trey with 20 seconds left. They had been chasing the Planets for the first 7-plus minutes of the period.
Mars held leads of 42-33 with 5:30 left and 44-35 with 5:00 remaining. But the Planets were not able to maximize several trips to the free throw line, going 5 for 10 late in the game.
Highlands also received a clutch 3-pointer from D.J. Loveland, cutting Mars’ edge to 50-49 with 52 seconds left.
“You leave points out there, it opens the door for a team to come back,” said Carmody. “This game didn’t come down to Mihali’s last shot. We could have won it with one more free throw, one more defensive stop, one more box-out.
“We’ve been having trouble closing games out, but this is the first time it hurt us.”
Sfanos scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half. Zac Schlegel added 10 points for the Planets.
Kunst’s 15 points paced a trio of Rams who scored in double figures. Antoine McDaniel and Carter Leri both added 10 points.
HIGHLANDS 52
Chandler Thimons 2 0-0 4, Jimmy Kunst 7 0-1 15, D.J. Loveland 3 2-2 9, Antoine McDaniel 5 0-2 10, Dom Pesci 1 0-0 2, Carter Leri 4 0-0 10, Wahkeem Roman 1 0-2 2. Totals: 23 2-7 52.
MARS 51
Zac Schlegel 4 1-2 10, Anthony Vargo 0 1-2 1, Chris Dvorak 0 1-2 1, Tasso Sfanos 2 3-4 7, Bryce Cunningham 2 0-0 6, Mihali Sfanos 7 7-11 22, Pete Gonzalez 1 2-2 4. Totals: 16 15-23 51.
Highlands 11 12 6 23 — 52
Mars12 8 14 17 — 51
3-point goals: Highlands 4 (Leri 2, Loveland, Kunst); Mars 4 (Cunningham 2, M. Sfanos, Schlegel).
Tuesday: Mars at Hampton
