Lady Hawks challenged hard by Fort Frye before advancing
Morgan Yoder and the Lady Hawks survived a scare from Fort Frye but evenutally overcame a double-digit deficit to grab a 46-39 regional semifinal win.
When Hiland found itself trailing by a point in the final few minutes of its Div. III regional semifinal contest with Fort Frye Wednesday, March 3 at Cambridge High School, it was very unfamiliar territory for the Lady Hawks, who have rarely trailed this season, and never have been even remotely challenged in tournament play.
However, with the pressure on against a highly touted Cadets team, when it came down to making pressure free throws, the Lady Hawks showed steady hands and nerves while the Cadets misfired on their end, and Hiland escaped with a 47-39 victory to advance to face Wheelersburg in the regional finals.
A horrible shooting performance laid the framework for Fort Frye to seize control early, leading twice in the first half by 10 points, the first at 17-7 and later at 24-14. However, with star Zoe Miller in foul trouble early, it would be Kelsey Swihart who would come to the rescue, drawing Hiland to an even tie at intermission. From there, the two teams went at it like two championship-worthy teams, and when the Cadets scored with three minutes to play, Hiland trailed by one.
Miller would come through with a lead bucket, and with just over two minutes on the clock, it was crunch time, every possession and shot being huge. With a chance to take a lead, the Cadets missed the front end of a one-and-one and Morgan Yoder grabbed the miss.
That was when the Lady Hawks exhibited all kinds of calm under pressure.
Brynn Mullet would be the first two toe the line, hitting two free throws that never even drew iron for a three-point lead. Hiland’s defense had played well all game and forced a turnover and then it would be Kyli Horn who calmly drained two free throws for a five-point edge.
A Fort Frye miss on the other end led to Yoder being the next to be fouled, and like her teammates, she too dropped in two clutch free throws to secure the victory.
When the Cadets missed on their next possession, they threw in the towel and allowed Hiland to dribble out the final 30 seconds, in turn watching their dreams of a state appearance fritter away.
Takeway one: After allowing 13 points in each of the first two periods, Hiland’s vintage pressure defense clamped down, allowing only 13 second-half points.
Takeaway two: Hiland forced Fort Frye into 19 turnovers, not an unusually high number for the Lady Hawks. What was more impressive was the way Hiland took care of the ball. Hiland committed just four turnovers in the game, no single player coughing it up more than once. That is an astounding number under great pressure.
Takeaway three: Depth helps. Schlabach went nine deep off the bench while the Cadets played six players, four of them nearly the entire game. That depth may have played a role in Hiland being a little sharper down the stretch when the game was on the line.
Miller came through with 17 points to lead all scorers, while Swihart added 13 points and five rebounds. Yoder scored eight and Mullet added five in a game that was difficult for Hiland’s guards.
It also wasn’t easy on the glass, where Hiland was outrebounded 27-19, a real rarity this season. Oliva Schneider paced Fort Frye with 11 points, while Karlee Ross added seven and three other players scored six.
Hiland went on to throttle Wheelersburg 57-31 for the regional title to advance to 26-1 and into the state tournament. The Lady Hawks will meet 21-3 Cincinnati Purcell Marian in a Thursday 8 p.m. state semifinal at the University of Dayton. The first Div. III semifinal pits 25-1 Waynedale against 25-2 Ottawa-Glandorf, with Thursday's winners coming back at 2 p.m. to play for the state championship.