MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Loyalsock's Madison Perry (0) looks for someone to pass to under pressure from Hughesville's vivian Draper (34) and Maddie Smith (10) in the second quarter of a game earlier this season.

It feels like the season just started, but tonight we enter the regular season’s final week. And while the regular season is concluding, there also will be postseason games mixed in. The Heartland Conference Tournament is scheduled for Thursday and Friday, the Mid-Penn title game is Saturday and the Northern Tier League Showcase begins Thursday with the championship Saturday.

Three of the four HAC Tournament teams have been determined and we will know the fourth entry after tonight. Defending champion Loyalsock (20-1) is the top seed, while Jersey Shore (15-5) will represent HAC-I after sharing the title with Shikellamy and Hughesville (20-2) will be the wildcard entry.

Lewisburg (17-5) earned a share of the HAC-II championship last Tuesday when it defeated four-time defending District 4 Class AAAA champion Central Columbia. The Blue Jays, however, will share that crown with Lewisburg if they win tonight against Milton and would take the tournament’s final berth based on a better overall conference record. If Central loses, Lewisburg would be the league’s outright champion and enter the tournament.

Thursday’s match-ups also hinge on what happens today and tonight. Loyalsock and Hughesville cannot meet in the semifinals since both are from the HAC-III. That is about all we know because, with the Lewisburg-Central situation and Loyalsock heading to Jersey Shore this afternoon, there are a lot of combinations which could take place. Whatever happens it will be an intriguing field with all teams having at least 15 wins entering this week.

The Mid-Penn championship is much easier to explain. Muncy is undefeated in league play and clinched the outright Mid-Penn West Division title last week. Northwest has earned a share of the East Division crown and can win it outright if it defeats second-place Benton tonight.

Even if Benton wins, however, it will still be Northwest hosting Muncy Saturday for the conference championship. That is because Northwest holds the tiebreaker over Benton in terms of overall conference record.

The NTL four-team showcase is coming into view as well. Troy repeated as the NTL-I champion and likely will host surging Canton (13-7). The Warriors are tied for first with Northeast Bradford in the NTL-II but NEB holds the tiebreaker with the better overall conference record. That NTL-II champion will host the NTL-I runner-up which likely will either be Towanda or Wyalusing.

STAYING HUNGRY: Speaking of postseason tournaments, Loyalsock is gaining momentum as the playoffs approach. Loyalsock put together, arguably, its best performance this season Friday night when it defeated Lewisburg, 66-38.

The Lancers have won 12 straight games but, after reaching last year’s Class AAA Final 4, they have big goals and are hardly satisfied. That is important, too, because Loyalsock faces a big test today at Jersey Shore before entering the HAC Tournament and districts.

“I kept challenging the girls in the locker room (afterward) to stay motivated, and find ways to get better. I think we got better (Friday) for sure, but we have to find ways to continue to improve,” Loyalsock coach Curtis Jacobson said. “You just can’t get complacent. It’s about staying mentally locked in and ready to go. It’s a next play, next practice, next game mentality and it’s a determined, mature group and we’re going to continue to lean on them to stay with it.”

INSIDE-OUTSIDE: Hughesville celebrated an individual milestone achievement last Tuesday when Alli Anstadt became the first Spartan player in girls or boys basketball since 2010 to reach 1,000 career points. Moving forward, however, it was the way Hughesville played which was especially encouraging after it defeated Mount Carmel, 58-24.

The Spartans broke open a close game in the second quarter by doing damage in the post and on the perimeter while constantly moving. Maddie Smith and Kendall Hamm combined to make three second quarter 3-pointers and Hughesville had everything working as it turned what was a three-point game early in the second quarter into a mercy rule contest late in the third.

It was more of the same Saturday when Hughesville mercy-ruled 16-win Elk Lake, 65-34. Four Spartans scored in double figures there and Anna Easton provided eight points off the bench.

“When the girls are flowing and shooting in rhythm, they’re a tough team. It’s when we force stuff and stand still that we struggle,” Hughesville coach Dustin King said. “(Tuesday) we wanted to emphasize getting downhill and kicking the ball out. They did a great job and the offensive flow couldn’t have been better.”

PUTBACKS: South Williamsport (11-9) clinched a District 4 Class AAA playoff berth Saturday and exacted revenge for a previous loss, defeating St. John Neumann, 65-34. Abby Akers scored 23 points on Senior Day and junior Ella Moore continued her strong late-season play, scoring a career-high 22. Neumann (10-9) also is playoff-bound and opened its week with a 45-21 win against Bucktail as Kallee Johnson matched her career-high with 14 points … Williamsport produced a season-high 73 points Saturday in a 73-52 win against Montoursville. Nadirah Tutler continued her stellar second-half play, scoring 26 points with Jaelynn Helmrich adding 14 and Khamya Moate 12. Kayleigh Sheleman has excelled down the stretch for Montoursville and scored a career-high 20 points. The junior forward is averaging 18.3 points over her last three games. Emily George added 26 points and 19 rebounds in two games last week … Canton (13-7) handed NEB its first NTL-II loss in five years, defeating it, 45-41. The Warriors have won four straight games and Kendall Kitchen collected a double-double, going for 14 points and 11 rebounds. Four players scored at least eight points Friday in a 49-30 win against North Penn-Liberty … Carrie King scored her 1,000th career point in Milton’s last-second 46-45 loss against Shamokin. King finished with 18 points and seven rebounds, while Addison Wenzel had 16 points and five steals and Liz Schrock grabbed a whopping 26 rebounds … North Penn-Mansfield sophomore Claire Dominick has come back strong from an early-season injury, reaching double figures in seven straight games. She totaled 16 points and nine rebounds in Saturday’s 56-47 loss against Wyalusing.

Dr. Masse’s top five rankings:

1. Loyalsock (20-1): Loyalsock has held seven straight opponents to fewer than 40 points. The Lancers bottled up a dangerous Lewisburg offense which three nights earlier had won a 63-59 thriller against Central. Alaina Dadzie, Lacey Kriebel and Jaekairah Harden all made at least four steals in both Loyalsock victories last week against Bloomsburg and the Dragons.

2. Hughesville (20-2): Kylie Temple has been one of several players providing consistent sparks off Hughesville’s bench. Temple produced seven points and six rebounds against Mount Carmel after scoring a career-high 13 points in Hughesville’s previous win. Hughesville completed its first 20-win regular season since 2007 with Saturday’s victory. This also is the first time the Spartans have won 20 regular-season games during the 22-game era, making this achievement especially impressive. Following the HAC Tournament, Hughesville will either be seeded No. 1 or No. 2 and host a District 4 Class AAA quarterfinal.

3. Lewisburg (17-5): It was not the conclusion to the regular season, Lewisburg hoped for but it still has all its goals there for the taking and made a statement when it became the first District 4 Class AAAA team to beat Central in the last three seasons. Teagan Osunde delivered a monster performance in that exciting win, scoring a career-high 29 points, grabbing 15 rebounds, making five steals and adding four assists. Maddy Moyers scored 16 points with five assists and Addy Shedleski grabbed six rebounds. Lewisburg will be either the No. 2 or 3 seed in the 4A playoffs and host a first-round game. The Dragons have reached states the past two years and are pursuing their first finals appearance since 2018.

4. Jersey Shore (15-5): Before a loss Saturday at NTL-I champion Troy, Jersey Shore secured its third straight HAC-I championship, downing Midd-West, 57-12. The Bulldogs also have won at least 15 games in each season. Peyton Dincher scored 30 points at Troy and 22 against Midd-West. Cailyn Schall added 13 in the Troy game but a five-point halftime lead turned into a 57-48 defeat. The Bulldogs get another crack at Loyalsock today after losing three hard-fought contests against its rival the past two seasons.

5. Muncy (16-4): Muncy has made defense its calling card the past two seasons, using that stifling pressure to capture district and league championships. The Indians squeezed the juice from Line Mountain’s offense last Friday, holding it scoreless in the fourth quarter, surrendering just seven second-half points and winning, 44-25. Muncy is allowing just 24 points per game and has not allowed more than 25 during its four game winning streak. Rosie Zalonis is having a strong sophomore year and had 13 points against Line Mountain.

Players of the Week

Addi Eyer and Ava Eyer, Muncy: It’s a sister act this week. Older sister Addi is the consummate point guard and helps fuel the Muncy defense. She excelled in all facets last week, filling up the stat sheet in impressive wins against South Williamsport and Line Mountain. The four-year starter scored 22 points against South and produced a double-double two nights later, going for 11 points and 10 steals. Addi totaled 17 steals and 11 assists in those wins as well. Ava is having an excellent sophomore season and was a rebound in both wins from having double-doubles each time. Ava averaged 11 points, nine rebounds and five steals as Muncy secured its first league title of the 2000s.

Game of the Week

Loyalsock at Jersey Shore: By itself, this game would be in the running for this slot. It’s the environment, though, which made it an especially easy call. This afternoon’s game will be played in front of the entire Jersey Shore student body at 1:30 p.m. This will be a pumped up, large crowd and it is the perfect atmosphere for two teams hoping to make postseason noise. That goes double for Loyalsock because it could not ask for a much tougher crowd situation. Because the game is just for students and the parents, almost every fan there will be rooting for Jersey Shore. This will be exciting.

–Masse may be reached at cmasse@sungazette.com. Follow him on Twitter at @docmasse