Pictured above: Montrose junior point guard Aspen Smith (5) handles the ball in last week’s first-place battle with Mountain View. (Tom Robinson Photo)
Montrose overwhelmed visiting Elk Lake, 52-25, in one of the most impressive performances of its current 10-game winning streak Monday night but the Lackawanna League Division 4 girls basketball leaders suffered a major loss in the process.
All-star guard Aspen Smith suffered a season-ending injury, a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her knee as the result of a collision with two defenders while going to the basket in transition with 5:14 left in the half. Smith, a junior, was running the Montrose offense as point guard and often spearheading the team’s trademark pressure defense along with being one of three players who shared nearly equally in handling the scoring load.
Smith was also one of the big reasons Montrose scored the game’s first 16 points and led 40-2 before Elk Lake finally scored its second basket 1:36 before halftime. When she left the game, the Lady Meteors were already in front, 32-2.
Hayley Pompey led Montrose with 18 points and Mia Snyder had 16. Each had all but four of her points in the first half for a 42-4 lead.
Smith had 11 points during the 25-2 first quarter.
Pompey scored eight in the second quarter and Snyder had a 3-pointer in each of the first two quarters.
Freshman Madi Casselbury hit a 3-pointer and went 5-for-5 from the line, all in the third quarter, while coming off the bench to lead Elk Lake with eight points.
Montrose, the two-time defending champion, improved to 4-0 in the division. The Lady Meteors, the third-ranked Small School in the Riverfront Sports Power Rankings of District 2 teams, improved to 10-2 overall.
Elk Lake, which finished second in the division a year ago, dropped to 1-3 and 4-8.
In other Lackawanna League Division 4 girls games Monday:
Mountain View 42, Susquehanna 28
Addison Kilmer scored 18 points as Mountain View remained within a half-game of Montrose by winning at Susquehanna.
Kilmer had eight points in the first quarter to help the Lady Eagles to a 13-6 lead.
Lily Sedlak had five of her seven points and Kilmer added four more in the third quarter when Mountain View extended a 23-16 lead to 32-20.
Lexi Iveson and Olivia Orner scored seven points each for Susquehanna.
Blue Ridge 44, Forest City 17
Blue Ridge opened leads of 14-2 after one quarter and 28-6 at halftime on the way to the home-court win.
MORE LACKAWANNA DIVISION 4 COVERAGE
Aspen Smith’s impact on last week’s first-place battle: Lady Meteors extend win streak – NEPA Sports Nation.
