Man in the Middle
FOX CHAPEL — Mars struggled shooting from the outside in the first half of Tuesday's WPIAL Class AAA boys basketball playoff game against South Park.
Senior center Josh Goetz was more than happy to pick up the slack.
While the Planets were just 1-of-10 from outside the arc in the first two periods, Goetz scored 11 points in that span, helping Mars distance itself from the Eagles in a 65-37 victory at Fox Chapel High School.
He ended the game with a double-double of 23 points and 21 rebounds.
“I didn't think we got the ball to him enough early on,” said Mars coach Rob Carmody. “There were several trips down the floor when I thought we took a shot from the outside too quickly. It's tough because there have been games this year when we've made 13 3-pointers, but offensively and defensively, Josh has shored things up for us this year.”
The Planets (20-3) will play Uniontown, a 66-61 victor over Blackhawk, in a quarterfinal Friday at a time and site to be determined.
Goetz's onslaught began in earnest in the second quarter when he went on an individual 6-0 run, putting the Planets up 18-6 with 3:58 left before the break. He added another basket before the quarter ended and was the only player in double figures after two periods of play, at which point his team held a 26-10 edge.
“(The Eagles) switched up their defense, going from a 2-3 zone to man-to-man to a 1-3-1,” said Goetz, “but we just ran our stuff and executed no matter what defense they played. We're playing with a lot of confidence right now.”
“Mars' skill level concerned me entering the game,” said South Park coach Will Saunders. “Our only chance was to use our size to our advantage against their guards, but (Goetz) runs the floor well and came up with some big offensive rebounds.”
The Planets drained a trio of 3-pointers in the third quarter. When Matt Getsy hit his long-range attempt with 2:17 left in the period, Mars' lead increased to 42-17.Mars grabbed 40 rebounds to just 25 for the Eagles (13-10).Mars had not played a game since a win over Shenango Feb. 11.“We were a bit tight at the start of practice (Monday),” said Carmody. “We weren't that sharp at the beginning tonight either, but we did so well in rebounding and on defense that it gave us a chance to get the jitters out.”The Planets are the No. 2 seed in the district tournament and have now won seven in a row and 13 of their last 14 games. But Carmody wants his team to trust in the same mindset it has carried with it all season.“I've tried to make the point to the guys that, 'Hungry and Humble,' whether it's a practice or a game, that's been our motto all year,” he said.SOUTH PARK 37Joe Wanker 0 1-2 1, Justin Palaschak 0 4-5 4, Carter Grote 2 1-2 5, Ryan Smider 7 6-6 21, Justin Gorny 2 2-2 6, Ryan Mino 0 0-0 0, Dan Wanker 0 0-0 0, George Loeffelbein 0 0-0 0, Evan Sommer 0 0-0 0, Harry Zaremba 0 0-0 0. Totals: 11 14-17 37.MARS 65Owen Nearhoof 1 2-2 4, Ben Erdahl 1 1-2 3, Matt Getsy 5 3-3 14, Mitch Buzard 7 0-0 15, Zach May 2 0-0 6, Josh Goetz 10 3-4 23, Alex Locher 0 0-1 0, Garrett Ashbaugh 0 0-0 0, Adam Bayuk 0 0-0 0, Nick DeCamp 0 0-0 0. Totals: 26 9-12 65.South Park 6 4 15 12—37Mars12 14 19 20—653-point goals: South Park 1 (Smider); Mars 4 (May 2, Getsy, Buzard)Friday: Mars vs. Uniontown, WPIAL Class AAA quarterfinal, time and site TBD
