Mars eliminates Trinity in another heated battle
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Trinity’s Jeff Ecker, left, consoles his twin brother Zach as they leave the court following the Hillers’ season-ending loss to Mars in a PIAA Class 5A playoff game Tuesday night at Moon High School.
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Trinity’s Zach Ecker attempts a fourth-quarter shot Tuesday night during a PIAA Class 5A playoff game against Mars at Moon High School.
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Trinity’s Michael Koroly drives past Mars’ Michael Carmody during the fourth quarter of Tuesday night’s PIAA Class 5A playoff game at Moon High School.
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Trinity’s Joey Koroly is defended by Mars’ Robby Carmody late in the fourth quarter Tuesday during a PIAA Class 5A playoff game at Moon High School.
CORAOPOLIS – Trinity boys basketball coach Tim Tessmer had to feel pretty confident walking into the locker room with a 19-16 halftime lead.
As he walked back into the gymnasium and down the Hillers’ bench for the second half, a confident fist bump was the only emotion he allowed.
The Hillers had WPIAL Class 5A champion Mars, who defeated Trinity in the process of winning that title, on the ropes and nearly where they wanted it.
Mars’ Robby Carmody, the Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year and Notre Dame recruit, had three fouls. Michael Carmody, the only true post player for the Fightin’ Planets, also had three.
They limited Mars to the fewest points all season in a single quarter in the second.
And Tessmer might have thought the Hillers’ “throw-away” quarter, something they’ve dealt with the entire season, was behind them.
It still wasn’t enough.
Robby Carmody hit two, back-breaking three-pointers and individually went on an 8-0 run to end the third quarter as Mars dominated down the stretch to defeat, and eliminate, Trinity, 48-40, Tuesday night in a PIAA Class 5A second-round game at Moon Area High School.
“Again with (the chant of) daddy’s princess,” said Mars coach Rob Carmody about the Hillers’ student section badgering his son.
“I wish every princess was that tough. You’d never have to call the knight in to beat the dragons.”
In the back-and-forth third quarter, when Trinity extended its lead to four points on three different occasions, the Hillers failed to make clutch shots to stretch their lead.
Trinity (21-6) never made more than four field goals in a single quarter. With multiple opportunities to extend the lead further than a handful of points, it failed to make shots. It also went more than eight minutes between field goals when they were needed most.
“We haven’t made a shot since the turn of the month,” said Tessmer. “That showed up again tonight. We had a lot of good looks and just didn’t make enough of them. We had a handful of threes that I thought could have broken it open.”
Mars (23-4) took advantage.
The Planets’ Andrew Recchia made a jumper and Robby Carmody finished a three-point play to extend their lead to seven points, 41-34, with 2:18 remaining in regulation. It was the wiggle room they needed after missing seven of 13 foul shots in the final quarter.
It was a sizable lead Trinity could never attain because of its first quarter not just being that of a so called “throw away” but rather a dumpster fire. The Hillers went 2-for-8 from the field and turned the ball over eight times to allow Mars to jump out to a 9-0 lead in the opening five minutes.
The Planets led 12-4 after the first quarter.
“Our execution,” Tessmer said. “You look at the first quarter, it was awful. You’re not going to win at this level (playing like that). You have to start better. I felt like we were hurting ourselves more than anything (Mars) was doing.”
The Hillers then outscored Mars in the second quarter 15-4. They outscored Mars 10-2 in the final 5:34 before halftime as Robby Carmody sat on the bench after picking up his third foul.
“Without him in the game, they don’t know what to do,” Tessmer said about Robby Carmody, who finished with a game-high 24 points before fouling out on a double technical with Trinity’s Dausen Marry late in the game.
Cade Hetzler was the only other player in double figures for the Planets with 13 points.
Trinity’s Joey Koroly scored a team-high 15 points.
“You just survive and you advance,” the elder Carmody said.
“We were going back and forth at it until somebody breaks through. Fortunately, we did. You get to this point because you love and care about each other. We found a way.”