Mars girls prepare for first-place showdown with Hampton

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, January 14, 2018 | 6:12 PM

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This week marks the end of the first rotation in section play.

It also marks the biggest game of the season for the Mars girls basketball team. The Planets will wrap up the first round of section play Monday with first place on the line when they host Hampton.

Both teams are 5-0 in Section 4-5A. For Mars, it is no surprise the section may come down to these two teams again.

“It is like any other year with Mars and Hampton,” Mars coach Dana Petruska said. “We seem to be the frontrunners. I think our section play has made us better and challenged us. This is how it has been in the past year. We can't overlook anyone.

“The Hampton game is the end of the first round of our section. Both teams have some great players on it. I really look for the role players to do all the dirty work. That will determine who wins this.”

Petruska is in her third season of her second stint at Mars, and finally has a healthy team.

The Planets started the season 2-3, but have since rattled off seven straight wins. The biggest difference from the beginning of the season until now has been the return of junior guard Tai Johnson.

Johnson, a Bucknell recruit, missed the first seven games of the season with a stress fracture in her right leg. Johnson has started since her freshman season, and has been one of the team's top scorers, which was hard to replace.

“She couldn't even practice during that time,” Petruska said. “We were a little behind with her out. We are still struggling to get in rhythm with her back. She loves the pressure. She is a gamer. It has been huge since she has come back.”

With Johnson out, most of the scoring load was put on the shoulders of senior Lauren Wasylson. Wasylson, who has committed to Xavier, has stepped her game up, including recording the 1,000th point of her career.

Wasylson reached the milestone in the home game against Armstrong on Jan. 9. She needed three points heading into the game.

“It was nice for her to do it at home,” Petruska said. “She only needed three points heading into the game. We had a decent crowd with it being a boys/girls doubleheader.

“Lauren definitely stepped up. She realized the void that we had. She did everything she could possibly do when Johnson was out. She is a perimeter player, but she did a lot more during that time.”

Also making a contribution during Johnson's absence was her younger sister, Alek. Alek has moved into the starting point guard role as a freshman, and has maintained that role even with Tai back on the court.

Mars has advanced further in the WPIAL and PIAA playoffs in every season since Petruska has returned, and she is hoping that experience can lift the Planets to the next level this season.

“We have been able to improve each year which has been nice,” Petruska said. “Those experiences go a long way with the young team that we have.”

Drew Karpen is a freelance writer.

Tags: Mars