Doing so helped Hughesville make history.

King and Draper each collected six fourth quarter rebounds and Hughesville held off a late charge, defeating Shikellamy, 45-42 in the Heartland Athletic Conference semifinals. Maddie Smith scored 20 points, and King and Draper combined for 17 rebounds as Hughesville (21-2) reached the conference championship for the first time in three tries.

The Spartans face defending champion Central Columbia, the team which eliminated it the past two seasons, in Friday’s championship at 6 p.m.

“I think this is also once again another peak for us to keep making our way through,” King said after finishing with six points and eight rebounds. “We’re all meshing really well together as a team. It definitely feels great to do something good.”

Vivian Draper (34) of Hughesville and Kelsey Deitrich of Shikellamy reach for a rebound at Shikellamy High School. Hughesville won 45-42. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Shikellamy and Lily Fatool did everything they could to block Hughesville’s title game path. Fatool, the program’s all-time leading scorer, dazzled and scored 30 points and Shikellamy had a shot to force overtime in the final four seconds after trailing by seven with 85 seconds remaining.

Fatool’s corner 3-point try was off the mark and King secured the game-clinching rebound as Hughesville breathed a collective sigh of relief while winning its 10th consecutive game.

“It was a feeling of relief, considering Lily Fatool is a phenomenal shooter,” King said. “It did feel good getting the rebound. We knew coming in this was going to be a tough game, and it was.”

“At the end of the day a win is a win. We’ll take it however we can get it,” Hughesville coach Dustin King said. “It’s all about getting one more game at this point of the season. Now we get one more game Friday for this and move on from there.”

Draper and King relentlessly working on the boards helped make sure Hughesville moved on Wednesday. This game was much more low scoring than earlier this season when Hughesville defeated Shikellamy, 75-55. That meant rebounds were especially crucial.

Allyssa King of Hughesville drives to the basket against Shikellamy at Shikellamy High School. Hughesville won 45-42. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

King and Draper going for 12 in the final eight minutes helped shift momentum Hughesville’s way. The Spartans led by two entering the fourth, but the glass work allowed it to push the lead to 41-31 after Draper found Smith for a 3-pointer. The offensive rebounds created second chance scoring opportunities, while conversely the defensive boards limited Shikellamy to one shot and done possessions. In a game decided by such a small margin that made a big difference.

“My coaches always say defense always travels, and rebounding is very important,” Allyssa King said. “If you miss a shot, get a rebound and take it up back. It’s the same with defense. Get a rebound and push the ball and keep going.”

Hughesville had to keep going through some early struggles. The Spartans appeared sluggish in the opening minutes and lost six consecutive turnovers before attempting a shot. They trailed 6-0 but limited the damage with tough defense.

Once the Spartans settled in, they started heating up. They went up one entering the second quarter, then turned a five-point second quarter deficit into a 25-23 halftime lead when Kendall Hamm found Smith for a buzzer-beating layup.

“The biggest thing is we haven’t had a lot of competition the last couple games and we won some games by good distances, so this was good for them,” Dustin King said. “We haven’t had a tight game in a while, so this was a valuable experience.”

Maddie Smith of Hughesville puts up a shot against Shikellamy at Shikellamy High School. Hughesville won 45-42. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Hughesville never trailed again, but Shikellamy also never backed down. Fatool was the main reason why. An electrifying point guard, Fatool basically is a scoring threat as soon as she crosses midcourt. Explosive off the dribble, handling the ball as well as anyone in District 4 and capable of shooting from anywhere, Fatool looked unstoppable at times despite Hughesville’s best efforts to contain her.

The Spartans threw different players, different looks and double teams at Fatool. They also had taller players defending her in this rematch, but it did not matter. Fatool repeatedly drilled shots, including five 3-pointers, despite rarely having clean looks.

Fatool hit her final 3-pointer with 11 seconds left, cutting the deficit to three. After a Hughesville turnover, Shikellamy had one last chance, but Fatool’s shot sailed long and King grabbed the rebound.

“We had people in her face, doubled her and it did not matter. Certain times people are uncoverable and that’s the way she is,” Dustin King said. “She’s one of those generational players you look back on. She never tires out. She just goes harder. She kept doing her thing. Hat’s off to her. She’s a hard-nosed kid.”

Hughesville players feature a similar mentality and, on a night when the shots were not falling, they used that blue collar work ethic to gut out a win against the HAC-I champions. It was different players delivering at key times, including freshman Casey Schultz who was at the center of the team’s first-half rally.

Anna Easton of Hughesville is fouled by Ruby Kohl of Shikellamy at Shikellamy High School. Hughesville won 45-42. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Schultz scored six first-half points, and her pull-up jumper cut the deficit to one in the second quarter. That basket was part of a 10-3 run which helped Hughesville grab the halftime advantage.

“That was really relieving, her coming in and doing that,” Allyssa King said. “She has a bright future, and she’s been doing this all the way through. She’s doing really well.”

Central (23-0) is the last team which defeated Hughesville, rallying in the second half to win, 48-42 last month. Despite being in different divisions, they have become quite familiar with each other, and this will be the third straight year they play twice since each has qualified for the HAC Tournament each time.

“You’re playing good teams no matter what when you come here,” Dustin King said. “Friday is going to be another great test for us, moving forward and it just helps us build on the little things.”

HUGHESVILLE (45)

Kylie Temple of Hughesville puts up a jump shot against Shikellamy at Shikellamy High School. Hughesville won 45-42. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Maddie Smith 9 1-2 20, Vivian Draper 0 4-8 4, Kendall Hamm 1 0-0 2, Allyssa King 2 2-4 6, Anna Easton 0 1-2 1, Kylie Temple 2 2-4 6, Casey Schultz 3 0-0 6, Tori Morgan 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 10-20 45.

SHIKELLAMY (42)

Lily Fatool 11 3-5 30, Kelsey Deitrich 2 4-4 8, Carli Berry 0 0-0 0, Jane Berger 1 1-3 3, Ruby Kohl 0 1-2 1, Shelby Hoffman 0 0-2 0. Totals 14 9-16 42.

Hughesville 9 16 8 12–45

Shikellamy 8 15 8 11–42

3-pointers: Hughesville 1 (Smith); Shikellamy 5 (Fatool 5).

Records: Hughesville 21-2.

Maddie Smith of Hughesville puts up a shot against Shikellamy at Shikellamy High School. Hughesville won 45-42. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Vivian Draper of Hughesville and Ruby Kohl (31) and Kelsey Deitrich of Shikellamy all reach for a rebound at Shikellamy High School. Hughesville won 45-42. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette