Lackawanna Trail moved into first place in the Division 4 girls basketball race by handing 2023 state semifinalist Mountain View its only Lackawanna League loss this season, but yielded the lead when it fell to defending champion Montrose.

The 40-26 loss at Montrose Feb. 2 left Lackawanna Trail with a 7-2 league record and 13-5 overall mark. The Lady Lions fell to second place, a game behind Mountain View and a half-game in front of Montrose. They lead the race for the top seed in the District 2 Class 2A playoffs.

The Mountain View game was part of a five-game winning streak by the Lady Lions, who have since lost two straight, including 44-38 at Tunkhannock in a non-league game Jan. 31.

Lackawanna Trail 40, Mountain View 37

Mackenzie Schirg went 7-for-8 from the foul line in the fourth quarter, finishing off a 17-point effort that led the Lady Lions to the Jan. 22 road win.

Lackawanna Trail shot 16-for-20 on free throws, including 5-for-6 by Samantha Duffy, who added seven points.

The Lady Lions outscored the Lady Eagles in each of the first three quarters to take a 30-26 lead, then held on with the help of Schirg’s foul shooting.

All-state center Addison Kilmer led Mountain View with 15 points.

Montrose 40, Lackawanna Trail 26

Sadie Jones scored 11 of her 14 points in the second half to lead Montrose to its fifth straight victory, snapping Lackawanna Trail’s four-game league winning streak in the process.

Montrose led 17-9 at halftime.

Schirg scored 13 of her 15 points in the second half for the Lady Lions, including hitting two 3-pointers in the third quarter, then scoring the team’s only five points of the fourth quarter.

January recap

The Lady Lions went 8-2 during the month. They won their first three, lost 44-32 at home against Elk Lake Jan. 12, then won five straight. … The winning streak began with a 48-11 rout of Carbondale in a non-league game, then continued with Division 4 wins over Mountain View, Susquehanna (53-41), Blue Ridge (47-37) and Forest City (46-22). … Schirg poured in 26 points while Ayla Seigle scored 13 and Gretchen Rejrat added 12 in a 58-28 romp at Blue Ridge in the league opener Jan. 3. … Schrig had 10 of her 17 points and Rejrat eight of her 13 in the first half when the Lady Lions took a 25-7 lead on the way to a 49-26 victory at Forest City Jan. 6. … The Lady Lions overcame a 16-6 halftime deficit to defeat Montrose 34-33 in their first meeting at Lackawanna Trail Jan. 10. Seigle scored all 11 of her points in the second half, including eight in the fourth. Schirg had 11 of her 13 points in the second half. … Schirg scored 24 points, including 16 in the second half, in the second meeting with Blue Ridge. … Schirg finished the month averaging more than 16 points per game on the season.