Maybe the North Hills boys freshman basketball team had a case of the Monday blues early on against Mars. Whatever the reason, the team that had won nine games in a row, started slow and trailed by four points after the first quarter.

But North HIlls turned around and knocked off a tough Mars team, 61-50, Monday at the Senior High.

The win lifted North Hills' record to 10-1. The team has a 10-game winning streak after losing the season opener.

North Hills came back after the sluggish start to grab a 32-23 halftime lead. The Indians upped the advantage to double figures in the second half a few times before Mars came back and sliced the deficit to five. But North Hills hit some key free throws down the stretch and walked away with another win.

North HIlls got nice contributions for a handful of players. Nathan Schanbacher had a double double with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Aaron "Hammer" Loritts was all over the glass with 12 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. Ethan Guszczynski came through with some big plays in the second half and finished with 13 points and 5 rebounds. He scored 11 of his points in the second half and was 5 of 5 from the three-throw line.

Jackson Long did a little of everything for North Hills. He hit four 3-pointers and finished with 20 points. But he also had 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals. North Hills hammered the boards with 42 rebounds, including 16 on the offensive end.

North Hills is back at it Tuesday afternoon with a game at Peters Township. The Indians end the week Friday with a game at Montour. North Hills' next home game is Friday, Jan. 20 against Fox Chapel.