by Frank Aceto

Associate Sports Editor

Akron — Casey McDowell provided strong leadership and a sweet shooting stroke.

Leah Getz dazzled everyone with her magnificent skills and array of playground moves.

Michelle White made her mark with her otherworldly athleticism.

Those three players turned the Hudson girls basketball team into one of the best programs in the state during the earlier part of the 21st century.

After their dramatic 67-63 victory over Wadsworth in a Division I district semifinal contest March 3 at Ellet High School in Akron, another legend arrived for the Lady Explorers.

Her name is Jessica Monsman.

The 6-foot-2 junior guard/forward carried Hudson to its first district championship game in seven years with a game-high and career-high 37 points on 16-of-23 shooting. She also had 13 rebounds and blocked six shots.

Monsman, the team’s leader in a number of statistical categories, showcased all of her skills against the Lady Grizzlies. 

She was a force defensively and when she had the ball in her hands, she couldn’t be stopped.

Monsman, who scored 21 of her team’s first 31 points and had 29 points after halftime, did most of her damage in the painted area.

She drove to the basket at will and finished despite a bevy of Wadsworth defenders crowding her.

She also drained difficult jump shots with several hands in her face.

And most of all, she converted a number of layups after grabbing offensive rebounds.

Monsman, a three-year starter, had not reached the district level until this season.

“Wadsworth is always a strong team,” she said. “That’s what makes it even more exciting.”

Monsman reached the 30-point plateau for the third time this season. She has a number of games where she’s scored at least 20 points, too.

Such a massive outburst seemed extremely unlikely in the first half.

Monsman drew a crowd everywhere she turned and Hudson had its worst scoring output of the season. 

The Lady Grizzlies, who completely dominated the inside, had a 27-14 lead at halftime.

“We just had to pick up our intensity,” Monsman said. “This is the tournament. At halftime, we were telling each other ‘Let’s get it together.’ We knew we could come back.”

Monsman did her part.

She scored 14 points in the third quarter as the Lady Explorers exploded for 32 points to take a 46-44 lead.

Monsman’s putback of her own miss gave Hudson its first advantage (43-42) since early in the game.

Monsman also put the finishing touches on a mind-boggling 36-9 run with a putback to give the Lady Explorers a 56-44 lead early in the fourth quarter.

And Monsman has a good memory, too.

Hudson lost a 64-62 decision to Wadsworth Dec. 2 at Ray “Buck” Hyser Gymnasium. The Lady Grizzlies won the game at the buzzer.

“We were looking to get revenge,” Monsman said.

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