Sarah Jane smiled at Maria in Invasion of the Bane and was rude to Alan. I doubt she made any connection, but I wonder if that could just be time playing tricks. I know that I have barely any detailed recollection of traumatic events from my childhood, and would not recognize someone from those times if I saw them now (especially if they had not aged at all). Would be a nice fanfic, though, showing Sarah gradually remembering meeting Maria and recognizing that she saved her life all those years ago.

My personal fanon is that SJS instinctively liked Maria from the outset, possibly a reaction to their encounter thirty years earlier, but pushed her away as she pushed everyone else away. In Maria's case, those, she was at least kind about it...sorta....