Stopping Carmody, Mars no easy task for Highlands boys basketball

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, March 15, 2018 | 10:36 PM

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If there's a blueprint for attacking Mars, it usually starts here: Don't let Robby Carmody have a monster night.

Of course, that's easier said than done.

The Notre Dame recruit was the WPIAL's leading scorer in the regular season at 33.7 points and has scored more than 20 in four of his five playoff games while every defense focused on him.

But when Highlands (20-5) faces WPIAL champion Mars (23-4) on Friday in a PIAA Class 5A boys basketball quarterfinal at Gateway, disrupting the 6-foot-4 senior is still the goal. Tipoff is 7:30 p.m.

“Everybody is prone to having bad games,” Highlands coach Tyler Stoczynski said. “It happens to everybody. There's no way around it. We just challenged our kids: Do everything in your power to help him have a bad game. And if we do that, we think we'll be right in the mix.”

The winner advances to a PIAA semifinal matchup with District 3 champion Milton Hershey (25-3) or Philadelphia's Archbishop Carroll (20-7), the third-place team from District 12. The semifinals are Monday.

Carmody had a bad first half against Trinity in the PIAA second round. The state's Gatorade Player of the Year reached halftime with six points and three fouls, but turned around his and his team's night with consecutive 3-pointers in the third quarter. Mars won 48-40 and Carmody scored 24.

Highlands watched that film and absorbed what they could.

“They made Robby work for shots,” Stoczynski said, “but there's a reason he's going to the ACC. He stepped up, made some tough shots and changed that game. We've just got to make him work for every shot he takes.”

The only playoff team to hold Carmody to fewer than 20 points was Franklin Regional in the WPIAL finals. Carmody had just 11, but teammate Andrew Recchia scored 14, Cade Hetzler added 13 and Mars won 54-44.

That showed Mars isn't a one-man offense, Planets coach Rob Carmody said.

“That was probably more of the case earlier in the season,” Carmody said. “Eleven points was the fewest Robby has scored since he was a freshman, and we won the WPIAL championship. We have other guys that are capable of scoring. Obviously, a lot of attention is going to get placed on Robby because of what he's done and how long he's done it. The key to the game is how balanced we can be.”

Franklin Regional held Mars well below its 72-point average by slowing the pace, a tactic playoff opponents have used against Mars. However, that might not happen Friday since Highlands averages 63 points and scored 73 in a PIAA second-round win over Carrick.

Highlands had four scorers in double figures, led by Luke Cochran with 21 points.

“Ideally for me, I don't want to play 48-40 games,” Carmody said. “I prefer the game to be much faster and quicker paced. But at this point in the season, it's all about survive and advance.”

This was a matchup Stoczynski's team hoped to play at Petersen Events Center. Now two weeks later, they'll take their shot here. A win would snap a 15-game losing streak to the Fightin' Planets, a former section rival.

“There's a reason they're really good; they have arguably the best player in the WPIAL in Robby,” Stoczynski said. “He's tremendous, but luckily basketball is a team game. We're going to put five guys out there just like they are and go to war.”

Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CHarlan_Trib.

Tags: Highlands, Mars