Hiland delivers knock-out punch early in regional semis win

Over the past several years, Grandview Heights has had the Hiland Hawks’ number on the soccer pitch.

On Thursday, March 12, the Hawks settled some scores on the hardwood.

In a highly anticipated Division VI regional tilt at the Convocation Center at Ohio University, the Hawks went on a torrid early run, built a comfortable lead and never looked back, rolling to a 70-44 victory.

“I look at the stat sheet, and everybody did something to add to the win,” Hiland head coach Mark Schlabach said.

What ignited the big start was the smallest guy on the floor with the biggest heart, Hiland guard Ashton Schrock. His inspired play helped Hiland go on a blistering 17-0 run.

After Caleb Mishler put the Hawks ahead with a 3-pointer to start the game, Grandview Heights scored the next seven points, going inside to their trio of big 6-foot, 5-inch post players.

The Bobcats had the Hawks right where they wanted them with momentum on their side, and suddenly, it all went awry.

The Hawks’ defense came out to play in earnest, stepping up the pressure and creating turnovers that turned into points. Alex Miller and CJ Yoder scored inside to put the Hawks ahead for good at 8-7. Then Schrock simply took over, wreaking havoc on both ends of the floor. Not known for his scoring, Schrock hit a pull-up jumper, made a steal, missed a shot, and then picked the pocket of a Bobcat again and scored.

Back-up center Regan Shetler then grabbed a rebound and was fouled as time expired, splitting two free throws to give Hiland a 13-7 lead after one quarter.

Well, kind of.

As the two teams huddled between quarters, GH head coach Bob Ghiloni, who had been chirping much of the quarter, was assessed a technical foul, and Miller calmly sank both free throws for a 15-7 lead.

Hiland continued it stunning pace to start the second, Miller draining a long triple and Caleb Yoder connecting on a slashing drive in the paint.

GH’s Duncan Peters slowed the bleeding with a trey of his own, but the Hawks went right back to work, reeling off seven straight including another Mishler 3-pointer.

Trailing 27-11, the Bobcats clawed back, getting scores from Mitch Hahn and Luke Lee to get within a dozen at 27-15, but a Ryan Zerger put-back, Schrock’s electrifying and-one, a third Mishler triple and a Grant Bille trey gave the Hawks a comfortable 38-18 advantage going into the locker room.

The third quarter started and ended with Hiland creating plenty of issues for the Bobcats on defense, with Miller grabbing three of his game-high eight steals, the second one leading to a Zerger dunk. CJ Yoder got hot, and when Miller found Caleb Yoder on a back door cut, Hiland had pushed the lead to 52-26.

It didn’t take long for both teams to concede the outcome and empty the benches, but this one was over long before that took place because Hiland’s defense once again proved to be too much for an opponent to overcome.

Schlabach said his team didn’t play extremely well but said the first of two games at the Convocation Center is always strange for some reason.

A total team effort

Hiland got contributions from top to bottom. The balanced scoring saw Miller total a game-high 17 points while Schrock added 11, Zerger added 10 points and eight rebounds, Mishler and Caleb Yoder scored nine apiece, CJ Yoder scored four, and Bille, Henry Schlabach and Andrew Beun all added three apiece.

However, it was more than just the scoring.

Getting key contributions from Shetler, who was asked to play a larger role against the trio of Bobcats big men, and Mishler, who was tasked with guarding GH’s towering Peters, were equally important.

“We felt Caleb was going to have the toughest matchup of the night because he was guarding their biggest kid, and I thought he did a great job,” Schlabach said. “They tried to post him up a couple times early, and he held his ground and they got kind of frustrated.”

As for Shetler, he got to play a larger role than he has all season.

“We told Regan this was the game where matchups determined his playing time,” Schlabach said. “I thought he rebounded the ball well and was a huge factor when he was in the game.”

Team leadership from two senior guards

Schlabach said most teams would relish having one truly capable point guard. He had two in Schrock and Miller, who played with confidence and poise in leading the Hawks to victory, a night that included a paltry seven turnovers for Hiland including zero from Miller.

“Those two guys have made us go all year,” Schlabach said. “At the most important position on the court, we have two guys who are as good as anyone and lead like seniors should lead.”

Schlabach said his players understand Schrock’s intense value to this team. He said Schrock brings energy and passion to the gym, whether in a game or at practice.

“He’s 100% go, all the time,” Schlabach said.

Perhaps for good reason.

After having a minor role as a freshman, Schrock suffered a season-ending injury before his sophomore season even began. The Hawks missed out on playing at regionals last season, so in this, his final go-around, Schrock isn’t letting any moment slip away.

Her certainly did so in this contest.

“We were a little bit sluggish early on, so I felt like I had to do something to spice up the game a little bit to get us going,” Schrock said. “It felt like they were playing off of me, so I used that to attack them and let other guys make plays.”

Schrock said waiting for this moment, with this group of seniors, is something he has dreamed about for a long time. Having endured the hardships of a major knee injury, he has overcome and become an unsung hero on a talented team that has big aspirations.

Finishing the deal

The Hawks would go on to top Portsmouth West in the regional final 48-35 to return to the state tournament.

Zerger played a monster role in that game, collecting 18 points and eight rebounds, while Alex Miller added 10 and Caleb Yoder scored seven. While Schlabach said it wasn’t their most polished game of the season, the Hawks did manage to do the one thing that has driven them all season long: lay down a suppressing half-court defense that relentlessly forces opponents to overcome in-your-face pressure that simply wears teams down.

That defense has been instrumental in the Hawks reaching the state tournament in four of the past five seasons.