No late magic as Lady Hawks fall to Warriors

  • By Kevin Lynch
  • March 25, 2010
  • 494
                        
To get to the State championship game, the Lady Hawks needed some last-second magic a couple times, in both the Regional semifinal and in the State semifinal. When Hiland needed something special to happen in the waning moments of the Division IV title game against Harvest Preparatory of Canal Winchester on Saturday, March 20, there was nothing left in the bag of tricks. Hiland’s quest for a fifth State championship came up short. The Warriors pulled out a 45-41 victory, fending off a gallant try by the Lady Hawks. A Hilary Weaver layup tied the game at 41-41 with 47 seconds remaining. The Warriors inbounded, and Cheyenne Rose headed up the court. Weaver tried to draw another charging call (Harvest Prep had already been whistled five times for charging), stepping in front of Rose, who barreled over the Hiland senior. Weaver was whistled for the foul and Rose buried the biggest free throws of her life, giving Harvest Prep a 43-41 advantage with 36 seconds to play. “I saw that she was out of control and set my feet, and fell back when she ran over me, but I guess the call went the other way,” Weaver said. “I don’t think I did a very good job of coaching there,” Hiland coach Dave Schlabach said. “Maybe I should have taken a time out to set up our press. This group has figured out a way from the first day of summer. I felt very confident with our group.” After Rose gave Harvest Prep the lead, Weaver’s pass to Katelyn Stuckey inside for a shot at a tying bucket was intercepted by Shicole Watts with 25 seconds remaining. The Warriors called time out, which allowed Hiland to get into its press and Weaver came up with a steal on the inbounds play. Destiny Turner poked the ball away from Weaver as she headed for the possible game-tying score and Watts was fouled. The Division IV co-player of the year, an honor she shared with Weaver, iced the game and the championship with two free throws with 15 seconds remaining, giving the Warriors a 45-41 advantage. “We shot 27 percent (13-for-48),” Schlabach said. “Ultimately, you’ve still got to make shots as hard as you play and as physical as you play. Hil (Weaver) did a great job distributing the basketball. It was just one of those nights where we couldn’t get that next shot to fall.” The Lady Hawks led 13-9 after the first period. Weaver scored seven of the Lady Hawks’ first nine points, including a 3-pointer. She continued her offensive explosion, scoring eight more in the second quarter to help Hiland build a 27-21 lead at the half. Harvest Prep made some adjustments defensively and Hiland had a hard time finding the range from the field in the third quarter. “Weaver had more than half their points at halftime,” Harvest Prep coach David Dennis said. “We picked up our intensity, made things tougher for her, and we got some better results on the offensive end.” The Warriors pulled ahead 38-37 after three quarters, outscoring Hiland 17-10 in the period. “I don’t think it was anything they did. We just couldn’t knock down a shot on consecutive possessions, and stretch anything out when we had opportunities,” Schlabach said. “It wasn’t from an effort standpoint. This group played extremely hard. I take a look at the stat sheet here, and see we took 15 free throws in the first half; we got none in the second. Our inability, for whatever reason, to get to the free throw line in the second half was big. We struggled with their size inside and finishing shots.” Weaver finished with a game-high 19 points. Noelle Yoder chipped in six points, canning a pair of 3-pointers. McKenzie Miller and Jessica Stutzman scored five points apiece and Stuckey and Regan Miller added three apiece. Watts led Harvest Prep with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Jaren Francis added nine points, and Lucia Herndon chipped in six points and eight boards. The Warriors pulled down 36 rebounds to 31 for Hiland. Stuckey had seven caroms to lead the Lady Hawks. “We came out here today against a very good, highly rated, experienced Hiland team that wanted it bad, but these young ladies found a way,” Dennis said. “We overcame some foul trouble, and we found a way to win. “We toughed it out,” the coach continued. “We took care of the basketball each possession at a time, and we got fortunate a couple times there, with that steal, and then another steal. As you know, to win a championship takes some luck, and we were fortunate. But these girls dug deep and found a way, and I’m very happy for them.”


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