The Hughesville Spartans waltzed into their matchup Friday with nine straight wins but they left with ten. They blew past Southern Columbia Area, posting a 60-20 victory on the road. Given Hughesville's advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 41st, while Southern Columbia Area is ranked 614th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Hughesville found their leader in underclassman Maddie Smith, who scored 18 points along with six steals. The contest was Smith's fourth in a row with at least ten points. Alli Anstadt was another key contributor, scoring ten points.
Hughesville's victory was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 10-1. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.2 points per game. As for Southern Columbia Area, they still haven't won a game yet this season and fell to 0-5.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Hughesville will take on Loyalsock Township at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Loyalsock Township is also coming in off of a big victory, so somebody is in for a big reversal of fortune. As for Southern Columbia Area, they have the luxury of staying home another game and will welcome Bloomsburg at 7:15 p.m. on January 9th. Bloomsburg is coming into the match on a four-game losing streak.