Prime-time excellence
ADAMS TWP — Television cameras, a jam-packed gym, and a 71-34 WPIAL Section 4-5A win over Chartiers Valley.
Those things are cool, sure, but Mars boys basketball coach Rob Carmody is more enthusiastic about what’s to come.
“As excited as I am, I said to the guys, ‘What happens if we just keep getting better?’” Carmody said. “We have a month before the end of the season … Tonight was literally one game. We don’t win anything out of tonight, we don’t get anything special because we won a home section game.
“In all reality, that’s what we’re supposed to do. That’s where I’d like to think our program is. When we have a home section game, we should win it. That should be the expectation.”
The Planets have won each of their last dozen home section matchups and 57 of 58 dating back to January of 2014.
Mars (9-2, 3-1) led wire-to-wire against the visitors, getting out to a fast start and setting the tone for the rest of the night. Tasso Sfanos pinned up nine points in the first frame and a game-high 31 in total, while also sticking to the Colts’ dynamic Jayden Davis, who didn’t score until the third quarter.
Chartiers Valley (12-2, 2-2) didn’t expect such a level of urgency.
“They had a lot of energy,” Colts coach Brandon Sensor said. “I thought it was the most energy they showed all season from the film I watched. They played really hard and they were able to execute on offense.”
For Mars, who also watched Ryan Ceh and Remi Black score double-digits, the approach was nothing different.
“The mindset was the same thing that we would do any game,” Carmody said. “How do we get to our best basketball with where we are right now? It’s Jan. 13. It’s not February and, hopefully, we get to March. We’ve got a long way to go … This is a great win, a great crowd, a great atmosphere, and a great opponent.”
Defending their own hardwood has been something he’s stressed to his team, now and in the past.
“I don’t care who you talk to, any coach in the WPIAL,” Carmody said. “Your home section games are your goal. You have to hold onto them.”
Ceh and Black also plugged up the middle, only allowing the guests two offensive boards through three periods. Chartiers Valley could never get in rhythm.
“We just got out-played,” Sensor said. “They opened up a lot of good shots for themselves and they hit them. We struggled with that at times, getting good shots, and then we weren’t patient. When we did have them, it didn’t seem like a lot of them were falling. One of those games.”
Keeping the same level of intensity will be key for the Planets going forward.
“If this is the high point of our year, then we’re going to look back and think that we as coaches have failed the kids because they’ve shown us what we can do because they can still get better,” Carmody said.
CHARTIERS VALLEY 34
Drew Sleva 6 0-0 14, Jayden Davis 3 0-0 6, Jake Lewis 2 0-0 5, Brendan Cruz 1 0-0 3, Rudy Morris 1 0-0 2, Jason Specht 1 0-0 2, T.J. Kubiscek 1 0-0 2, Julian Semplice 0 0-2 0. Totals: 15 0-2 34.
MARS 71
Tasso Sfanos 12 3-7 31, Ryan Ceh 7 0-0 17, Remi Black 6 0-0 12, Austin Campbell 2 0-0 5, Deven Koch 1 0-0 3, Drew Navetta 1 0-0 3, Ian Zukowski 0 0-3 0, Will Wilson 0 0-1 0. Totals: 29 3-11 71.
Chartiers Valley 7 13 10 4 — 34
Mars 20 16 19 16 — 71
3-point goals: Mars 9 (Sfanos 4, Ceh 3, Campbell, Navetta); Chartiers Valley 4
Saturday: Mars at New Castle
