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Article published February 24, 2010
Going their separate ways Mars girls advance after physical game; Planets boys' season ends
DORMONT — Ashley Lynch wore her battle scars — and smile — proudly. So did Elaine Hasek. Lynch's right biceps was bloodied, bruised and bandaged. So was her right hand. Hasek limped about with a large ice pack wrapped around her left thigh. The cuts and bruises, the result of a WPIAL Class AAA preliminary round girls basketball playoff game against Belle Vernon that more resembled an MMA cage match, were well worth it for the Mars duo following a 47-46 victory at Keystone Oaks High School Saturday afternoon. "I did not know it was going to be this physical at all," said Hasek, who scored 16 points and hit the game-winning free throw with 30 seconds remaining. "Us as players didn't know much about them. "We all watch out for each other," she added. "If someone gets knocked down, we all go and help each other up. We don't like to see each other get beat up." While Hasek received some mighty blows, she dished them out, too. The senior forward was dominant on the boards, grabbing 15 rebounds and keeping many possessions alive. Lynch was equally effective running the offense for large portions of the game when junior guard Alexa Lee was a reluctant spectator with foul trouble. Lynch, shaking off her arm and hand injuries, scored 12 points and hit two big shots late in the game after Mars had fallen behind by five points midway through the fourth quarter. "A good team has to do that," Lynch said. "(Alexa) is a very good player and we rely on her so much. But when that situation happens, another player has to step up." Lynch was the one Saturday. To that, the senior shook her head. "Everyone stepped up," she said. "That's what a team is." Despite the foul trouble, Lee still finished with 16 points. The junior hit four 3-pointers — two so deep they might have been launched from the Liberty Tunnels. Belle Vernon (14-9) had little response to Lee's sharp shooting. "With Alexa, range is never a question," said Mars coach Tony Howard. "If it's a good shot, she'll take it. When she went out, Ashley had a couple of key baskets." The Planets (13-10) battled from behind for most of the game and didn't grab their first lead until there was 1:46 remaining in the game. Belle Vernon came back to tie the game at 46 before Hasek made the front end of a one-and-one. She missed the second free throw, but Belle Vernon couldn't score on its final two possessions. Leopards point guard Jocelyn Connolly, playing with a bulky knee brace, had a chance to give her team a victory, but her driving layup missed the mark in the final seconds. She led Belle Vernon with 14 points. To Lynch, the win was further proof of the Planets' gumption. "We had to work for that win," Lynch said. "We're a very good team at bouncing back. If we have a goal, we'll keep working at it. We'll pick each other up." Mars will face Chartiers Valley (18-4) at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Moon. Nothing his team accomplished shocks Howard these days. "They have shown their resilience since Dec. 13 against Erie McDowell," Howard said. "They have bounced back and refused to except anything less."Boys West Allegheny 69, Mars 52 — The game couldn't have started any better for the Planets — or ended any worse. Without leading scorer Christian Locher, who was lost for the season with a high-ankle sprain last week, the Planets (12-8) stormed out to an 18-8 lead against the Indians. But West Allegheny (13-8) bounced back, shot 28-of-37 from the field over the final three quarters to knock the Planets out of the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs. The Indians outscored the Planets 22-10 to end the first half and 39-25 in the final two quarters. West Allegheny's top two scorers, John O'Donnell and Nick Herman, combined to score 45 points on 20-of-22 shooting. "They did some nice stuff," said Mars coach Rob Carmody. "All the credit goes to them. Obviously, they shot the ball well. I thought there were a few times we got our hand up to bother them, but there were times when, quite honestly, we got lost and confused and left them open for easy ones. When you do that, you are asking for trouble." O'Donnell scored 26 points, hitting 11 of his 13 shots. Some were wide open looks. Some were difficult shots that he made look easy. Herman had a perfect day, scoring 19 points on 9-of-9 shooting. The loss overshadowed a fine debut by Mars freshman Mitchell Buzzard. Thrust into the starting lineup at the last minute because of an unexpected illness, Buzzard scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting. His 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer cut the Indians' lead to 30-28 and was the last highlight for Mars in the contest. "It was a very strange way to (get into the starting lineup)," Carmody said. "I was like, 'Mitchell, get in,' He looked at me like, 'Are you serious, coach?' But we know what Mitchell could do. He's been with us all year. He's going to be a player." Boys WEST ALLEGHENY 69 Ben Simmen 7-12 0-1 14, John O'Donnell 11-13 2-3 26, Nick Nerman 9-9 1-2 19, Alex Reilly 0-2 0-0 0, Mike Karas 2-4 0-1 4, Matt Morelli 2-6 0-0 6. Totals: 31-46 3-5 69. MARS 52 Tim Vandall 0-3 0-1 0, Brad Weischedel 7-13 3-5 17, Mike Lindenbaum 0-0 0-1 0, Luke Gruber 2-9 1-2 6, Jake Lee 0-0 0-0 0, Ian Hindley 7-16 1-2 15, Ben Erdahl 1-1 0-0 2, Mitchell Buzzard 5-7 0-0 12, Garrett Ashbaugh 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 22-50 5-11 52. West Allegheny 6 24 20 19—69 Mars 13 15 11 13—52 3-point goals: West Allegheny 4 (O'Donnell 2, Morelli 2); Mars 3 (Gruber, Buzzard 2). Girls BELLE VERNON 46 Haley Bashada 3-11 0-2 6, Amanda Gorecki 4-7 0-3 8, Jessalyn Timko 3-8 1-2 7, Jocelyn Connolly 2-12 10-12 14, Lisa Manderino 3-8 0-0 6, Shayne Rainey 2-4 0-0 4, Taylor Zuchowski 0-3 0-0 0, Kala Vargo 0-0 0-0 0, Courtney Seaman 0-0 0-0 0, Jessica Stagus 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 17-43 11-19 46. MARS 47 Lizz Tumminello 0-2 1-4 1, Ashley Lynch 5-10 1-1 12, Carly Clark 0-0 0-0 0, Marley Good 0-1 0-0 0, Meghan Kelly 1-4 0-0 2, Corinne Gressang 0-0 0-0 0, Elaine Hasek 4-9 8-15 16, Alexa Lee 6-16 0-1 16. Totals: 16-42 10-21 47. Belle Vernon 12 12 13 9—46 Mars 9 14 12 12—47 3-point goals: Belle Vernon 1 (Connolly); Mars 5 (Lynch, Lee 4). Today: Mars vs. Chartiers Valley, 6:30 p.m., at Moon
