The Hughesville Spartans waltzed into their matchup Thursday with seven straight wins but they left with eight. They had just enough and edged Jersey Shore out 61-58. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.
Hughesville's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Maddie Smith led the charge by scoring 23 points along with seven rebounds. Those 23 points set a new season-high mark for her. Vivian Draper was another key contributor, scoring 20 points along with six rebounds.
Jersey Shore's loss came despite strong showings from Peyton Dincher and Jocelyn McCracken. Dincher scored 21 points along with five rebounds, while McCracken scored 15 points along with six rebounds. The contest was Dincher's sixth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Sophia Stover, who scored five points.
Hughesville's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-1. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.8 points per game. As for Jersey Shore, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-3.
Hughesville and Warrior Run will face off at 7:30 p.m. on January 2nd without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Warrior Run will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Pennsylvania Rankings (they are ranked 266th, while Hughesville is ranked 59th). As for Jersey Shore, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Lewisburg at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
