The Montrose girls and Elk Lake boys completed perfect seasons in Lackawanna League Division 3 basketball, adding second-half titles to the first-half titles they had already captured and claiming the all-season championships in the process without the need for any playoff games.

Montrose defeated visiting Forest City Feb. 10 in a first-place showdown, 39-34.

Meghan Gilhool scored 11 points and Myra Lattimore added 10 for the Lady Meteors, who overcame a three-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

Cassandra Bendyk led Forest City with 20 points.

Montrose wound up finishing two games ahead in the second-half race when it defeated Lackawanna Trail, 54-36, in Wednesday’s league finale while Mountain View was upsetting Forest City, 50-42.

The Lady Meteors have won their last 40 division games, dating back to their last two seasons in Division 3 before the realignment to four divisions and 24 straight wins by Montrose.

Mountain View’s win marked just the second time since the first half of the 2009-10 season that Montrose or Forest City lost to anyone other than each other in the division. Lakeland, which is no longer in the same division, beat Forest City late in the 2011-12 season.

The final second-half Division 3 girls’ basketball standings: Montrose 6-0, Forest City 4-2, Mountain View 4-2, Lackawanna Trail 3-3, Susquehanna 2-4, Blue Ridge 1-5, Elk Lake 1-5.

All-season records in Division 3 were: Montrose 12-0, Forest City 9-3, Mountain View 7-5, Lackawanna Trail 6-6, Susquehanna 5-7, Blue Ridge 1-11, Elk Lake 0-12.

Elk Lake had its perfect overall record ruined in a crossover game against Mid Valley, 74-61, but came right back Feb. 12 to defeat Susquehanna, 57-38, and complete its division title.

Jason Kenny scored 31 points for Mid Valley.

Tanner Reyan led Elk Lake with 32 points in the loss.

Nick Dudock scored 27 points and Reyan had 20 in the clinching win over Susquehanna.

The Montrose girls needed a big fourth quarter to lock up their title. The Elk Lake boys started a little earlier.

The Warriors only had a 23-22 halftime lead over the Sabers, but took control right after halftime and built a 14-point lead going into the fourth quarter.

Brandon Soden went 5-for-7 from the floor, hitting a pair of 3-pointers while scoring 15 points to lead Susquehanna in the loss. Josh Wheeler added eight points and Christian Miller grabbed nine rebounds.

Susquehanna bounced back to win its regular-season final Friday when Mark Zappe produced 22 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots in a 52-30 romp over Blue Ridge.

Wheeler added 13 points and five assists while Miller had 14 rebounds.

Following multiple weather-related postponements, not all teams were able to complete league play by the end of the weekend.

WEEK IN REVIEW

Montrose’s Jacob O’Brien and Blue Ridge’s Zach Edwards each finished second Sunday at the Lackawanna League Wrestling Tournament.

O’Brien and Edwards each made it to the finals by posting a pin and a major decision.

Stefhon Caple of West Scranton defeated O’Brien, 12-4, in the 106-pound final.

Edwards forfeited the 145-pound final.

Montrose’s Chad Swift (220) and Blue Ridge’s Evan Aldrich (285) finished fourth.

Montrose finished ninth and Blue Ridge 10th out of 12 teams.

In high school swimming, both Elk Lake teams finished with losing records in the Wyoming Valley Conference Northern Division.

The final boys’ standings were: Delaware Valley 9-0, Scranton 7-2, Tunkhannock 7-2, Abington Heights 6-2-1, Scranton Prep 4-3-2, Valley View 4-5, West Scranton 2-7, Wallenpaupack 2-7, Elk Lake 1-7-1, and Holy Cross 1-8.

The final girls’ standings were: Delaware Valley 9-0, Abington Heights 8-1, Valley View 7-2, Tunkhannock 6-3, Scranton Prep 5-4, Scranton 4-5, Elk Lake 3-6, Wallenpaupack 2-7, West Scranton 1-8, Holy Cross 0-9.

In professional hockey, Mike Hoffman of the Binghamton Senators was one of two players with three points Wednesday night when the American Hockey League All-Stars defeated Farjestad BK of the Swedish Hockey League, 7-2, in the AHL All-Star Game in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada.

Hoffman, who is second in the league in scoring at the all-star break, was named AHL Player of the Game after posting a goal and two assists. He was essentially the second star of the game behind Brandon Pirri of the Rockford IceHogs, who was named Most Valuable Player after scoring two goals and assisting on another.

Brian Gibbons of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins had two assists.

Jason Jaffray, a former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguin now playing for the St. John’s IceCaps, was the AHL captain in the game. Jaffray also provided the winning breakaway relay goal the night before in a tiebreaker that lifted the AHL to an 18-17 win in the All-Star Skills Competition.

Hoffman won the CCM Fastest Skater event with a lap in 13.990 seconds. He was the fastest of eight in that competition. Gibbons was third.

When league play resumed Friday night, Hoffman kept up his scoring with two power-play goals and an assist when the Senators beat the visiting Penguins, 6-2, to add to their East Division lead.

Andrew Hammond made 33 saves in the win.

COLLEGE CORNER

Adam Phillips was a major contributor Thursday through Saturday in Buffalo, N.Y. when Rider University won its third straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference men’s swimming title.

Phillips won one individual event and was part of two winning relays at the conference championships.

The sophomore from Elk Lake was part of the 400 freestyle relay team that won Thursday in 3:21.76. He was also part of the second-place 200 freestyle relay that finished in 1:23.14.

Phillips also was 11th in the 200 individual medley Thursday in 1:54.73.

Phillips won the 100 breaststroke in 56.39 seconds and was part of the winning 200 medley relay team, which finished in 1:31.88, Friday.

On the meet’s final day, Phillips added an eighth-place finish in the 200 backstroke in 2:06.19.

THE WEEK AHEAD

The District 2 basketball tournament moves into full swing this week.

Weather-permitting the tournament was scheduled to begin Tuesday.

Official pairings were not available at presstime, but projections could be made based on available records and district tournament policies.

Montrose earned the top seed in Class AA girls and a bye in Tuesday’s opening round. The Lady Meteors will play either Lakeland or Wyoming Seminary in Friday’s quarterfinals.

Mountain View appeared set to have opened Tuesday night at home, needing a win to reach Friday’s quarterfinals.

The Elk Lake and Blue Ridge girls were the only teams that opted not to participate in the district’s open tournaments.

Elk Lake claimed the top seed in Class AA boys and a Wednesday home game, likely against Lakeland.

Montrose will have a Wednesday home game while Mountain View and Blue Ridge will open the tournament on the road.

Susquehanna faces Old Forge and Forest City plays top-seeded MMI Prep in Friday’s Class A boys’ semifinals.

Susquehanna plays Forest City in Saturday’s Class A girls’ semifinals.

In high school wrestling, the District 2 Individual Championships are scheduled for Friday and Saturday at the Kingston Armory.

Blue Ridge, Elk Lake, Montrose and Mountain View are part of the Class AA field.

Blue Ridge's Edwards, who won his 100th career match this season, was a district finalist last year after taking a title in 2012. Blue Ridge’s Dalton Hogle and Montrose’s John Shaffer each finished third.

In high school swimming, the District 2 championships get underway with the diving competition Saturday at the Wilkes-Barre CYC. The Class AA portion of the diving will begin at 10 a.m.

In professional hockey, the Senators and Penguins continue their battle for the top of the AHL East Division when they meet Wednesday night in Wilkes-Barre.

Binghamton (31-15-1-3) leads the division and has the fourth-best record in the 30-team league. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (28-19-2-3) fell from second to fourth place in the division in the first weekend following the all-star break, but is just five points out of first place in a tight, four-way race that also includes the Norfolk Admirals and Hershey Bears.

TOM ROBINSON writes a weekly local sports column for the Susquehanna County Transcript. He can be reached online at RobbyTR@aol.com or followed on Twitter at @tomjrobinson.

NUMBER 3 CAR IS ON DAYTONA POLE

Young Austin Dillon, stands on Dale Earnhardt's right side in 1998. Pictured furnished by NASCAR

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—Austin Dillon stood in victory lane with Dale Earnhardt, when he won the 1998 Daytona 500, driving the black No. 3 car.

Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, Dillon will lead the field to the green flag in the Daytona 500, as the driver of the No. 3 car.

It’s been 13 years since Dale Earnhardt Sr. lost his life in a last-lap crash in the 2001 Daytona 500. The No. 3 hasn’t been used on a car in the Sprint Cup Series since then.

Car owner Richard Childress made the decision over the winter to bring the No. 3 back, after consulting with fans, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and other members of the Earnhardt family.

There was mixed reaction among many older Earnhardt fans, but after Dillon’s top-qualifying run, some of them may have a change of heart.

“This is just awesome,” said Dillon. “I couldn’t be happier, especially for all of the Dale Earnhardt fans. I know what this number means to them, and it makes me feel proud to have been able to put it on the front.

“Getting this car number back on the track has been a major effort for all of the team, but the guys in the engine shop are the ones that really did it. They gave me an awesome machine today.”

As soon as qualifying ended, Childress was jumping up and down, hugging team and media members that were standing around him.

“What a day,” said Childress. “I didn’t think it would be impossible, but I wasn’t expecting this. I know Dale would be proud.”

Starting on the outside pole for Sunday’s Daytona 500 will be Martin Truex Jr. The remainder of the 43-car field will be determined through two qualifying races on Thursday, fastest lap times, and championship provisionals.

Denny Hamlin won Saturday night’s 75-lap Sprint Unlimited, non-points race. Brad Keselowski finished second, followed by Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Jamie McMurray, Marcos Ambrose, and Ryan Newman.

Those were the only eight cars running at the end. An eight-car pileup on lap 35 took out eight of the 18 cars. Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were involved in separate crashes.

NEW TEAM, NEW HOPES FOR HARVICK

Kevin Harvick winner of the 2007 Daytona 500, hopes his off-season move from Richard Childress to Stewart-Haas Racing will bring him another Daytona win, and most of all, allow him to claim his first Cup championship.

“It’s not to say that I didn’t have a fair share of success with Richard (Childress),” said Harvick. “It’s just that I felt a change was needed to elevate myself from a championship challenger to a championship contender.”

Now, at age 38, Harvick hopes to be this year’s Matt Kenseth, ending a long-term racing relationship, with the hopes that his NASCAR mid-life crisis reinvigorates his prospects for a championship. His move to Stewart-Haas Racing should be a positive one. He and team co-owner Tony Stewart are longtime friends with similar racing styles, and SHR’s equipment is a tad above RCR’s. The team runs chassis and engines from 2013 champs Hendrick Motorsports, meaning that the cars will be both fast and reliable. While RCR is a championship team, it is also nearly 20 years removed from a Cup title; SHR has the 2011 Sprint Cup trophy in the case.

“You know, I think we’ve had three really good tests this season, and everything has gone really smooth. I’m more excited to get back to racing,” continued Harvick.

“The transition has gone really well. You know, I think we were fortunate to recruit (crew chief) Rodney Childers very early in the process. He was able to spend a lot of time recruiting team members.

“I think it’s probably gone a lot better than what I expected. I didn’t really know what to expect, but I think as we’ve gone through everything.

“I’ve been pretty involved in a lot of the things that have gone on, and I feel like we’ve done all the right things. It’s just a matter of getting on the racetrack and racing.

“I think the pressure to win is week to week. Obviously, I feel like our cars are going to be fast, but I also am very realistic about knowing there are going to be some hurdles to overcome. You have to navigate through things.

“The Cup championship is one trophy in racing that has eluded me, and I’d like to see it put in there sooner rather than later.”

Meanwhile Jeff Gordon said that he'll retire at the end of the season if he can capture his fifth title this year. Gordon won his titles in 1995, '97, '98 and 2001 when Winston was the series sponsor, but in recent years has been unable to top teammate Jimmie Johnson, who won six titles between 2005 and 2013.

“I go home and I look in my trophy room and I see four trophies that are championship trophies, but they say 'Winston Cup' on them,” Gordon said. “You can name me a four-time Sprint Cup (champion) for technical reasons all you want, but to me, I'm not. And I want that before my career is over.

“If that happened, that would be all the reasons I need to say, 'This is it, I'm done. I’d go out on a high note.”

While Gordon is racing for another championship, many of the lesser-known drivers like Marcos Ambrose, driver of Richard Petty Motorsports’ No. 9 are trying to hold on to their ride.

Ambrose and his team lacked consistency last year, and unless they improve, it could be the Australian drivers last season with Petty. He admitted in an interview with Fox Sports that 2013 wasn't his best effort.

There has been talk that Ambrose wants to return to his native country to raise his daughters, but he insisted his results will determine whether he continues to race in NASCAR.

“If you make the Chase, you can't go home, can you?” Ambrose said. “You're one of the top-16 drivers in the world in this format, and you'd be mad to give away opportunities like that. So right now my focus is to be in NASCAR and to be winning races. I think with the team we've got, we've got a great opportunity to do that, and that's all I'm thinking about.”

Weekend Racing: It’s the season-opener for all three of NASCAR’s major Series’, and all three will see action this weekend on the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway.

Thurs., Feb. 20, Qualifying Duels for Daytona 500; Starting time: 6:30 pm; TV:

FoxSports1.

Fri., Feb. 21, Camping World Trucks, race 1 of 22; Starting time: 7 pm ET; TV: FoxSports1.

Sat., Feb. 22, Nationwide Series, race 1 of 33; Starting time: 12 pm ET; TV: ESPN.

Sun., Feb. 23, Sprint Cup Daytona 500, race 1 of 36; Starting time: 12 pm ET; TV: Fox.

Racing Trivia Question: Richard Petty said in an interview last week that the only way he thought Danica Patrick could win a race is if every other driver stayed home. What is your opinion? Give us your thoughts on his statement, and we’ll send you a photo of either Richard Petty or Danica Patrick. We’ll publish some of the comments next week.

Last Week’s Question: Does Kurt Busch still plan on running this year’s Indy 500? Answer. Kurt Busch and Chip Ganassi are trying to work out a deal that would allow Busch to drive in this year’s Indy 500.

You may contact the Racing Reporter at hodges@race500.com.