Pictured above: Montrose fans waited in the gym to cheer for their team one more time before leaving Central Mountain High School Monday night. (Tom Robinson Photo)
By Tom Robinson, NEPASportsNation.com
MILL HALL – Montrose had difficulty just getting into its offense and finding shots in Monday’s Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class 2A state semifinal.
Once the Lady Meteors worked the ball into or near the lane, they still had to deal with Molly Kosmack.
Kosmack added to Montrose’s offensive woes while contributing 13 points, 18 rebounds and 5 blocked shots to Homer-Center’s 47-13 rout at Central Mountain High School.
The 6-foot center, who is headed to Mount Aloysius, grabbed 13 rebounds on the defensive end and altered many of the shots on which she did not get a hand.
“She was little quicker than even I thought on film,” Montrose coach Todd Smith said. “She got from Point A to Point B. From high post, she got to the rim very quickly.”
Kosmack, who has more than 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in her career, also led Homer-Center on the other end of the floor where Smith generally thought his team played well.
“They got inside our zone and that doesn’t usually happen,” Smith said.
Kosmack led a 38-18 advantage on the boards for the game. She scored twice on putbacks during a 15-0 run over a stretch of 9:55 that gave the Wildcats a 24-5 lead going into the final minute of the first half.
Montrose’s struggles continued through 22 turnovers and 6-for-35 (17.1 percent) shooting, including 1-for-7 (14.1 percent) on 3-pointers.
Hayley Pompey had 10 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals, leading Lackawanna League Division 4 and District 2 Class 2A champion Montrose in all three categories.
Mia Snyder was the only other Lady Meteor to score, hitting a 3-pointer for the team’s first points with 4:10 left in the first quarter after the Lions had scored the first six.
Pompey hit a 19-footer to cut the deficit to 9-5 with 3:32 left in the quarter, but then Montrose’s offense stalled. The Lady Meteors got caught in sideline traps in the frontcourt against pressure and put up hurried or off-balance shots when they did manage to get into the lane and try to square off with Kosmack.
Payley Adams had four blocked shots and three steals in the loss while Riley Keihl assisted on half of the six baskets.
Montrose (23-5) had a seven-game winning streak come to an end. First, the Lady Meteors matched the 2011 team with the deepest state tournament run in school history by getting to the semifinals.
“It was a great run,” Smith said. “They worked hard for it.
“ … I guess I didn’t think we’d be here, much less anyone else.”
The Lady Meteors potentially had their status as state tournament threat ruined in January when point guard Aspen Smith, Todd’s daughter, suffered a season-ending knee injury that led to reconstructive surgery.
They kept going, however, including a second-round upset of a 25-2 Marian Catholic team coming off a 67-point, first-round victory.
“We beat some really good teams,” Smith said. “Marian was probably the biggest upset in the state.”
Macy Sardone, Homer-Center’s other 1,000-point scorer added 11 points and 5 steals. Alian Fabin had nine points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
Homer-Center, the District 6 champion, is 23-7 and has outscored its four state opponents by an average of 50.0-19.3. The Wildcats suffered three of their losses to River Valley, the team that is facing Dunmore in the state Class 3A championship game.
