As Vivian Draper exited the court one last time as a high school basketball player, Hughesville fans around the cavernous Hazleton gym rose and applauded.

Sure, some resulted from Draper playing an outstanding game Monday. But it was mostly a worthy tribute to a player who never took a play off the last four years. A relentless competitive fire burns throughout the Hughesville team and Draper sure has fanned the flame these last four years.

Draper went out on her shield in her final game, scoring 10 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and adding two steals as Holy Redeemer defeated Hughesville, 39-27 in the Class AAA Final 4. The Spartans did not grab the ultimate victory they craved but Draper again made sure they gave all they had pursuing it.

“That’s my goal every game. I want to know I did the best I could,” Draper said. “Win or lose, I want to know that I did my part in the game and gave all I had.”

Mission accomplished.

That became Draper’s calling card. Whether shots went in or not, Hughesville always could count on Draper providing non-stop energy. She topped 700 career rebounds, some coming through quality boxing out, but even more coming from an insatiable desire.

Draper is part of a senior class which made history three straight years. She, Allyssa King, Kylie Temple and Georgia Randall helped Hughesville win 85 games, two district championships and reach the Final 4 for the first time. Some was talent, but so much more was heart.

Time after time, Draper made sure that heart pounded strong, including Monday. Although Hughesville did not win, Draper personified everything she has meant to the program these past four years in this last performance.

Again.

Because Draper not only did that in games, but also at practices each day. On nearly any given night, it seemed likely that Draper would dive on the floor as often as she pulled down a rebound. Look at all those rebounds she produced and that says a lot.

“She’s worked her butt off in practice every day. Anna (Easton) and Casey (Schultz) are not easy to go against, and she’s worked so hard against them,” junior guard Maddie Smith said following her 14-rebound performance. “I guarantee she’s going to have a great career at Penn College.”

That is the next stop on Draper’s basketball journey. Before that next chapter begins, Draper made sure she closed her high school book with a flourish.

The senior forward was a consistent double-double threat who almost always filled up the stat sheet. She was the team’s second-leading scorer but also a force on the boards, a defensive ace and a player who could carve up the interior defense with excellent passes.

Combine that with the work ethic and one has a player who helped Hughesville soar to new heights throughout her high school career.

“Viv is always going to give you everything she has,” Hughesville coach Dustin King said. “There’s never anything left in her tank. She empties it all the time and tonight was a prime example of that.”

Indeed, it was. On a night, Hughesville suffered through a miserable shooting performance, Draper provided it a spark, scoring six straight second quarter points and giving Hughesville a brief lead after it trailed 0-2 early.

Draper finished with seven points and four rebounds that quarter and, despite shooting 5 of 27, Hughesville was tied at halftime. She scored a tying basket in the third quarter and another offensive rebound led to a free throw which pulled the Spartans within 25-23 early in the fourth quarter.

From there, Hughesville went ice cold, but Draper did her best to keep the heat on Redeemer and the game remained up for grabs until the final two minutes. Forced to foul, Draper exited in the final minute after picking up her fifth but the ovation she received revealed everything about the impact she has made.

And that impact will be felt after Draper graduates and trades in Green and White for Blue and White.

“I hope these younger kids are watching how she plays because it’s contagious,” King said. “For her to go out like that is no surprise.”

As impressive as Draper was during Monday’s game, she might have been more so afterward. There, she shared a fabulous perspective on not just basketball, but life in general. Still a high school student, Draper understands that life is a team game.

She helped Hughesville play that team game so well these last four seasons. As much as the stats and effort, it was how Draper helped bond the Spartans together which helped make it happen.

“That was my goal this year, to leave this team knowing the best way to win is by bonding with your teammates. That’s what wins games and keeps you moving forward,” Draper said. “It lets me see moving on that it’s better to do something with people helping than to try and do it all by yourself. That’s anywhere in life, whether the workplace or whether in the next level of sports.”

Draper seems suited well for both. Her teammates and coaches concur.

Starting next fall, Draper will begin writing a new book. Her high school basketball story reads like a best seller.

“I just can’t thank her enough,” Smith said. “She’s a great teammate; she’s a great person overall. I know she’s off to a bright future and great things.”