By Tom Robinson, NEPASportsNation.com
SCRANTON – Mia Snyder opened Monday night’s Lackawanna League Senior All-Star Girls Basketball game by hitting the first shot 15 seconds in, then adding two 3-pointers in the first 3:41.
But when Snyder and the rest of the Blue starting lineup re-entered the game with 4:01 remaining, there was still work to be done.
Snyder needed all of six seconds to hit the last of her four 3-pointers, putting the Blue ahead to stay in a 46-44 victory over the Red at Scranton High.
The Snyder 3-pointer started a streak of seven straight Blue points before Ana Pacewicz from Dunmore scored the game’s final basket for the Red with 2:48 left.
The Red had the game’s final possession, but the Blue defense repeatedly denied even an attempt at potential perimeter shots, including for a possible game-winning 3-pointer. Eventually Scranton Prep’s Rita Collins tipped a pass and Scranton’s Lanee Olson came up with the steal with three seconds left to clinch the win.
The starting and closing combination for the Blue featured Olson, Snyder and Montrose teammate Hayley Pompey as well as Collins and Scranton Prep teammate Gianna Cafarella.
After Snyder’s go-ahead 3-pointer, Olson and Cafarella scored fast-break baskets for a 46-41 lead.
Snyder was selected as the Most Valuable Player of the winning team with a game-high 16 points.
“I was just looking to have fun and make some new friends,” said Snyder, who joined Pompey and Blue Team coach Todd Smith in helping Montrose reach the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state Class 2A semifinals. “It was a good feeling to end the game that way.”
Like the Montrose combination, Collins and Cafarella were part of a Lackawanna division championship team that won District 2 on the way to a state semifinal appearance.
Collins shared the game rebounding lead with Wallenpaupack’s Grace Steffen with nine.
Cafarella was the Blue’s second-leading scorer with seven points.
Pompey, who also had five rebounds and two steals, and Steffen scored six points each.
North Pocono’s Sam Polishan contributed five rebounds, a game-high four assists and a team-high three steals.
The Red was coached by Dunmore’s Carrie Toomey, just four days after she guided the Lady Bucks to the first state championship by a league member in 36 years.
Cadie Lewis from her Dunmore team led the Red with 11 points while sharing the rebound lead with 6.
Valley View’s Molly Murphy was named Red MVP with eight points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals. She shared the team rebound and steals leads while leading the team in assists and finishing tied for second in points.
Caroline Murray from Abington Heights also had eight points and three steals.
Pacewicz made three of her four shots while scoring seven points.
The Blue included players from Forest City, Old Forge and Western Wayne in addition to Montrose, Scranton, Scranton Prep and Wallenpaupack.
The Red had players from Elk Lake, Holy Cross, Mid Valley and Mountain View along with Abington Heights, Dunmore and Valley View.
“It was a lot of fun to be able to play with people that I played with throughout my high school career and also during AAU season,” Murphy said. “It was fun to play with them again.”
Blue took its biggest lead, 15-7, when Western Wayne’s Skylar Long ended the first quarter with a 3-pointer and Old Forge’s Lauryn Olivieri opened the second with a basket.
Red answered with a 14-point streak to its biggest lead, 21-15. Murphy started the streak with 3-pointers 48 seconds apart, then grabbed a rebound and fed Murray for another 3-pointer and the lead. A putback by Mid Valley’s Abbie Larson and a 3-pointer by Lewis completed the run.
Blue opened up six-point leads in the third and fourth quarters before Murray and Lewis 3-pointers tied the game. That started an 8-0 run to a 41-39 lead on a Murphy steal and assist to Murray for a layup.
