Inside game... check.
Outside game... check.
Ferocious defense... check.
Rebounding... check.
Hilands Hawks had it all when they faced the Triway Titans in a match-up of premier boys basketball programs on Saturday, Jan. 8, at the Perry Reese Community Center. The Hawks did very little wrong in blowing out the Titans 72-36 in a game that was never close, since the Hawks drilled 3-pointers their first five trips down the floor to put the home-crowd faithful into a frenzy.
Hiland (9-1) came out extremely pumped up for the contest following what could only be described as a serene effort the night before against Newcomerstown, and proceeded to bury the Titans (3-5) from the get-go.
Triway held the ball for a full minute to begin the game, until Hiland stole the ball, and Jason Miller hit a triple. Then the Titans held the ball for 45 seconds, before another steal, and Dylan Kaufman drained a 3-pointer. Sawyer Polen finally made a pair of free throws, but then Kaufman hit his second trey of the night. After a third turnover, Miller kept pace, knocking down a 3-pointer. Polen cashed in on another pair of free throws, before Kaufman upped the ante and made it a trifecta of 3-pointers. Five possessions for each team turned into a 15-4 Hiland lead, and it only got worse for the Titans from there.
Still, Triway only trailed 17-11 when Derek Carmichael landed a triple, but that only seemed to irk Hiland, as the Hawks reeled off 10 straight, including four apiece from Seger Bonifant and Kaufman. Up 27-15 at the half, the Hawks put together an incredible third quarter which saw them outscore Triway 29-7. Among the highlights were five more Hiland 3-pointers, two sizzling passes from Kaufman and Luke Burch to Braden Conn and some unforgettably intense defense by the Hawks.
That left Hiland up 56-22 heading into the fourth quarter, and the benches cleared not long into the final stanza, as the two teams went through a meaningless fourth quarter.
They shot well, but we have to do a better job of contesting those shots, said Triway coach Keith Snoddy of the initial offensive explosion by the Hawks. Snoddy said that the Hawks reminded him of a couple of his top-tier teams in the past, in that they can beat a team outside and inside, making it tough to defend them. You give up one facet trying to stop another, said Snoddy of defending the Hawks. We wanted to stop their dribble penetration and they hit the threes.
It didnt help Triway that Hiland excelled in an area in which it has struggled immensely this season. Hiland held a 37-21 rebounding advantage, which has been a rarity for Hiland this season. Hiland coach Mark Schlabach said that when he saw how mentally ready his team was to play, he knew it was going to be a fun night.
We didnt have to coach a lot tonight, said Schlabach. The guys were really focused, and the biggest thing was how they responded to how they played the night before. They knew they didnt play well (against Newcomerstown) and they were disappointed with how they played without us having to tell them that. That shows a nice maturity level, and it showed with how we came out and played with great energy.
That intensity, Schlabach believes, is what led to those five straight 3-pointers which basically put the game in Hilands back pocket early on. Because we were into the game mentally, there was no hesitation when we put those shots up, said Schlabach. We shot with confidence.
Because of the offensive fireworks, it is easy to look past the way Hiland defended and rebounded against Triway. But despite all of the offensive prowess on this Hiland team, the Hawks have truly been amazing on defense this season, again limiting their opponent to around 40 points. In addition, the defense turned into a number of easy shots on the offensive end of the floor, which is why Hiland managed to shoot a blistering 57 percent on its action shots, including a whopping 11-of-23 from beyond the arc.
We knew this was going to be a difficult game coming in, said Snoddy. We got a little discouraged early in the game after that start, and a good team does exactly what Hiland did to us tonight when that happened.
Still, Snoddy said that his team was better now that it was a week ago, noting that learning experiences can come from anywhere, win or lose.
If we just learn from all of our experiences, we will get better and well get to where we want to be come tournament time. Well be well tested.
On this night, where the Hawks were is where that could be.
As well as Hiland played in the first half, it wasnt until the third quarter that Schlabach felt that his team truly performed as they were capable.
We did some nice things in the first half, but then we would do something stupid, said Schlabach. We got a lot more fundamental in the third quarter. We moved the ball well and got a lot of reversals for good shots.
Kaufman paced the Hawks with 16 points and nine rebounds, while Bonifant scored 15 points to go with seven boards. Noah Boyd finished with 10, Miller added six and eight Hawks scored between one and four points, with everyone getting into the scoring column. Polen led the Titans with 12, while Nolan Wharton added eight, and Zach Drouhard and Carmichael each netted five.
Hiland took the JV game by a 45-31 count.
