But the main attraction remains the current varsity squad. These are the players who have helped usher in the greatest three-year run in program history.

And they added another exciting chapter in this ongoing story Wednesday night.

Maddie Smith scored 18 points, Vivian Draper, Anna Easton and Casey Schultz played stifling defense against the state’s reigning Class AAA Player of the Year and Hughesville captured the HAC-III championship, defeating rival Loyalsock, 35-29. The Spartans (16-2, 8-0) secured the program’s first league title since 2007 when they competed in the Mid-Penn, sharing it with Loyalsock. They also won the program’s first outright league crown of the 2000s and swept the regular season series from the defending state champions for the first time this century.

“It’s great just knowing that as a team we work so hard and we’ve accomplished things that haven’t been done in so long,” Smith said. “To have my best friends right next to me doing it, it makes it so much better.”

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Loyalsock's Addison Barowy (24) tries to shoot over Hughesville's Vivian Draper (34) in the fourth quarter.

“That’s awesome,” said Hughesville coach Dustin King, who was so focused on preparing and coaching that he was unaware of winning the league title until informed. “That means even more, coming against a team that has dominated our conference. You always want to meet goals as you go and that’s definitely a nice one to check off.”

Loyalsock did not relinquish the crown it held the past two seasons without a fight. The Lancers (11-6, 5-3) cut an 11-point third quarter deficit to two with 68 seconds remaining. Hughesville, however, would not let them get any closer, Smith scoring six straight points and the defense again stiffening.

Still, the way Loyalsock fought through both an excellent opponent and a daunting environment could serve it well. The goal now is using that rally as a springboard.

“Give a lot of credit to our players. They got it to 11 and the crowd is involved, so it’s super easy to fold at that point and they didn’t do that,” Loyalsock coach Curtis Jacobson said. “I think it’s the first time all season that we felt we came together as a group and said, ‘We’re going to go.’ That’s the mentality our group last year had. We gained some of that mentality tonight and we saw what we can do with it.”

Minus a few Loyalsock parents, families and friends; the gym was mostly packed with overflowing, enthusiastic Spartan fans who made every big Hughesville play feel like a game-changer. That noise fanned both a relentless team’s competitive fires even more and made the win even sweeter. Smith sealed victory with a steal and layup at the 20-second mark and it was not what she saw so much as what the junior guard heard which made it such a rewarding feeling.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Loyalsock's Addie Bastian (15) tries to shoot around Hughesville's Anna Easton (33) in the fourth quarter.

“In softball, you don’t have that big of a crowd and at the collegiate level crowds are not that big. This is the biggest crowd I’m ever going to play in front of as an athlete,” said Smith who will play softball at Bucknell two years from now. “Just knowing all these fans are coming out to watch us, it’s honestly so amazing. We have such an awesome fan base and they do such a great job keeping us up.”

That was big, too, on a night when Loyalsock did all it could to hold Hughesville down. These rivals have squared off in consecutive district championships and this was the eighth time they have collided the past three seasons. Each knows the other as well as it knows itself and that meant every team had to work hard for every basket.

Loyalsock led 8-4 midway through the second quarter in a defensive battle, but the Spartans scored six straight points in 58 seconds and never trailed again. Hughesville was ahead, 12-10 at halftime and controlled the third with its suffocating defense and tireless work, earning second and third chance scoring opportunities.

Two offensive boards led to Allyssa King draining a 3-pointer which gave Hughesville its biggest lead, 21-10. Conversely, Hughesville ground Loyalsock’s offense to a halt, not allowing a point for the quarter’s first 6 minutes, 39 seconds. On a night Loyalsock held Hughesville to its lowest point total this season, the Spartans relied on a stifling, but sometimes overlooked defense to clear its victory path.

“That’s what our team talks about; that’s what Dustin tells us all the time: If your shot isn’t on, just pick it up on the other side of the floor,” Smith said. “Defense travels. If you’re not scoring, go get a steal and try and get a teammate a bucket. Pick it up on the defensive side of the ball. We’ve done a great job with that.”

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Hughesville's Alyssa King (32) shoots between Loyalsock's Alaina Dadzie (30) and Madison Wertz (34) in the third quarter.

All the Spartans played tremendous team defense, but the interior defense of Draper, Easton and Schultz especially stood out. For a second time in 19 days, that trio limited Alaina Dadzie’s touches, allowing just eight shots, eight points and two free throws. As guards like Kendall Hamm (3 steals) harassed ball-handlers and shooters, the post players kept Dadzie from getting free and held her without a shot in the game-changing third quarter.

All three players made some big offensive plays, too. Draper found Smith for a layup after Loyalsock made it a two-point game late, Easton scored four third quarter points and Schultz scored two minutes into the fourth, putting Hughesville up, 27-17.

“They did a great job of limiting her touches as much as possible. She’s probably the best player in the state in the post, so if you can get the ball out of her hands, that’s huge,” King said. “She can do everything. She worked hard tonight but the girls really played hard against her.

“They played their hearts out on defense; their effort was fantastic. Every girl that went in played hard on defense. We could hang our hats on defense tonight for helping us win this game.”

Loyalsock was down, but not out. Following two free throws, Jaekairah Harden found Madison Perry inside before connecting with Dadzie for another basket. Dadzie then dished to Harden and it was a 3-point game. Addi Barowy, who excelled off the bench, added a free throw and Loyalsock was within 29-27 with 1:08 still remaining.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Loyalsock's Jaekairah Harden (22) tries to drive around Hughesville's Anna Easton (33) in the second quarter.

From there, Draper helped Hughesville beat the press and found a cutting Smith on the left side for a layup. Hughesville forced a turnover; Smith drained two free throws and then intercepted a pass at midcourt. The basket she scored, the championship which was clinched and the sound echoing throughout the gym is one she and her teammates likely will forever fondly remember.

“We work so hard for this and to know that a steal and a bucket basically clinches the game is a great feeling,” Smith said. “It’s a weight off your shoulders knowing how hard you worked for it and that everything came together.”

Perry played a strong game for Loyalsock, going for nine points and three assists. Dadzie had nine rebounds and Harden and Maddie Wertz five each. The result was not what Loyalsock wanted, but how it played during the fourth quarter could be the tonic which makes it feel better as the season continues.

“We have to find ways to continue to build off what was good; find ways to get more rhythm and flow into what we’re trying to do and we can learn a lot from tonight,” Jacobson said. “They’re a really good and that’s a big part of it. They have the best homecourt advantage in the area by a long shot, so I think we can take a lot from this. Getting into moments like this and to live and learn a little bit and have to make plays is massive for us.”

LOYALSOCK (29)

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Hughesville's Vivian Draper (34) shoots over Loyalsock's Alaina Dadzie (30) in the third quarter.

Alaina Dadzie 3 2-2 8, Jaekairah Harden 1 1-4 3, Madison Perry 4 1-2 9, Maddie Wertz 1 0-0 2, Addie Bastian 1 1-3 3, Jillian Kennedy 0 0-0 0, Addi Barowy 1 2-4 4, Molly Boyer 0 0-0 0. Totals 11 7-15 29.

HUGHESVILLE (35)

Maddie Smith 5 8-10 18, Vivian Draper 1 0-2 2, Kendall Hamm 0 0-0 0, Allyssa King 2 0-0 5, Kylie Temple 2 0-0 4, Anna Easton 1 2-4 4, Tori Morgan 0 0-0 0, Casey Schultz 1 0-0 2. Totals 12 10-16 35.

Loyalsock 4 6 5 14–29

Hughesville 4 8 10 13–35

3-pointers: Hughesville 1 (King).

Records: Hughesville 16-2, 8-0 HAC-III. Loyalsock 11-6, 5-3.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Loyalsock's Madison Perry (0) tries to drive around Hughesville's Alyssa King (32) in the second quarter.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Loyalsock's Jaekairah Harden (22) shoots around Hughesville's Anna Easton (33) in the second quarter.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Hughesville's Maddie Smith (10) tries to drive around Loyalsock's Addie Bastian (15) in the first quarter.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Hughesville's Vivian Draper (34) drives around Loyalsock's Alaina Dadzie (30) in the first quarter.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Hughesville's Maddie Smith (10) tries to drive around Loyalsock's Alaina Dadzie (30) in the first quarter.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Loyalsock's Madison Wertz (34) tries to pass under pressure from Hughesville's Vivian Draper (34) and Anna Easton (33) in the first quarter.