A tale of 2 teams with their own objectives
West Holmes’ Preston Troyer glides around a pick from Cooper Maltarich as Hiland’s Andrew Weaver defends and Weaver’s teammate Ashton Schrock waits to provide some help.
The cross-county boys basketball game between visiting West Holmes and host Hiland on Tuesday, Feb. 11 was a tale of teams sporting two very different objectives on the evening.
For the one-win Knights, it was an effort to continue to improve and gain confidence.
For the one-loss Hawks, it was a chance to continue to perfect the little things that have blossomed into a season filled with hopes of yet another state tournament run.
On top of that, it was Senior Night for the Hawks, so there was plenty of emotion that accompanied the contest.
At the end of the evening, the scoreboard read 59-19 in favor of Hiland, but the priorities of this one weren’t necessarily about wins and losses.
Hiland boys basketball coach Mark Schlabach talked about this senior group of talent, a group that includes Caleb Beachy, Zeke Bodiker, Logan Hershberger, Logan Miller, Andrew Weaver, Sam Wengerd, Nick Wigton and Ephraim Yoder.
“What I like about this group is that when they were growing up, they weren’t the group that stood out and was ultra-successful,” Schlabach said. “They struggled in elementary school and junior high and were just a group that worked really hard and has stuck together and played as a team. They are a bunch who have been great teammates, and they are fun to be around.”
Schlabach said many on the team members are role players who understand their role on the team, some of which may not entail a large amount of playing rime. Yet they have stayed the course because they wanted to be a part of something special.
The work ethic and team unity have led to a sensational regular season, and Schlabach commended the commitment level of each senior.
“We will miss their character in the weight room, in the locker room and on the floor,” Schlabach said. “That they understand and accept their roles is special, and oftentimes, when that doesn’t come with a lot of playing time, that isn’t easy, but each is valuable because they have made practice very competitive.”
He said he has players who aren’t getting big minutes who would probably start for a lot of teams because of the sheer depth this club possesses.
The Hawks reeled off 15 straight wins to begin the season before falling to a very talented Harvest Prep team 59-45 to begin February, then rattling off four more wins including this one over the Knights.
Schlabach said that loss may have been the best thing that could have happened to his team.
“We needed a loss,” Schlabach said. “We haven’t had to grind out many games this year.”
Last season Hiland went through a string of nearly a dozen games that were nail-biters, hardening the Hawks to the rigors of having to compete.
This season has been filled with a lot of blowouts, so getting knocked down was something Schlabach felt his team needed to experience.
“We haven’t been behind much this year, so that helped us, and having to come from behind to beat Linsly (a 66-63 win) was a big learning experience for us too,” Schlabach said.
For the Knights, this score aside, after getting hammered around for the first half of the season, the tide has turned, not in terms of wins, but in terms of competing. The final stretch of games has seen the Knights competing much better, including taking Triway into overtime, a one-point loss to Strasburg and a two-point loss to River View. The last handful of games have all been very competitive, and head coach Ben Belden said that through it all, his troops have never wavered in their commitment.
“The message continues to be that we’re improving, playing better against teams that blew us out earlier in the year,” Belden said.
Belden went on to say this season is a testament to the players’ attitude and willingness to commit and work toward improving despite the record.
“I know it’s frustrating for them, but I try to give these guys a day off and they refuse,” Belden said. “They want to get into the gym and work. They’re not letting the circumstances dictate the work ethic, and that’s why I’m proud of these guys. It shows their character.”
Getting a big win over Mansfield Madison proved to be a big boost in moral because Belden said it proved their work was getting them to where they want to be.
“To get that win was big psychologically because we’re getting close and we’ve been through so much adversity. It was rewarding to finally get one,” Belden said.
Belden said living just a few miles away from a Hiland program that has experienced so much success should serve as an inspiration for his team to want to get where the Hawks are now.
He said putting in the time is important, but training their brains mentally to expect to win is where they have to get to.
The evening played itself out to be a tale of two teams with very different objectives.