Hiland derails Buckeye Trail in carbon copy fashion to win district crown

For all intents and purposes, the Buckeye Trail boys basketball team had a terrific basketball season.

If it could change one thing in its season, it would be sparring with the Hiland Hawks.

Earlier this season the Hawks and Warriors squared off in the Inter-Valley Conference Showcase at the end of the regular season, where Hiland (22-3) dealt Buckeye Trail a lopsided 62-22 defeat in a contest between the IVC South and North champions.

While people expected a closer game in the Division VI East District Final Friday, March 6 at Dover High School, what they got was an almost carbon copy of that first meeting, with the Hawks dealing the Warriors a 63-22 loss to end Buckeye Trails’ great season.

“They’re a talented team, but it just isn’t a good matchup for them,” Hiland head coach Mark Schlabach said.

Hiland senior Caleb Yoder set the tone for this one, turning a steal into two points nine seconds into the game and then connecting on a 3-pointer moments later.

After two Warrior free throws, Hiland scored the final eight points of the quarter, one in which Schlabach said his team played some rough basketball offensively.

“Early on we were pretty chaotic on offense, but once we settled in, we were pretty solid,” Schlabach said.

Early quarter success runs

After carving out a 13-2 run to begin the first quarter, the Hawks followed suit in quarters two and three.

Hiland got off to a 10-point run to begin the second period, led by sophomore post Ryan Zerger, who scored six points in the run. Zerger proved to be dominant on both ends of the floor, whether it was scoring, rebounding or making steals.

Speaking of making steals, the Hawks’ guard tandem wreaked havoc out front, producing steals time and again. Alex Miller had three assists in the run and capped off the half with a no-look feed to Zerger with three seconds left to give Hiland a 35-11 edge.

The third period run came like a flash flood, with Hiland pouring in 13 straight points to begin the quarter in just over two minutes. Caleb Mishler’s triple, three straight steals by Miller that led to easy scores, and a host of moments where the Hawks systematically hunted the ball down and took possession had the Warriors reeling.

By the time CJ Yoder hit a trey and delivered a jumper, it was 58-18, and benches began to clear.

Defense proved pivotal

Schlabach said the Hawks earn their keep on the defensive end, and they did just that, making life miserable on the Buckeye Trail guards to the point it became extremely difficult to get the ball in the paint and take any type of uncontested shots inside or outside the arc.

It seemed as though Hiland produced steals nearly every other trip down the floor and forced the Warriors into an abysmal night of shooting. Buckeye Trail went 4-of-22 from 3-point range and was only 2-of-15 inside the arc.

“Our defense has been terrific,” Schlabach said. “Even when we don’t shoot it well, we’re still in games. We’ve got a very motivated group right now.”

He said Buckeye Trail got tired quickly because of the pressure, which was amped up by Hiland’s relentless half-court defense that pushed the Warriors to the limits.

“There’s nothing more frustrating as a basketball coach than when your team can’t get a shot off,” Schlabach said. “We felt that frustration this year when we played St. Ignatius and Lutheran East, so to be able to do that to other teams, we know it’s frustrating because it wears you down.”

Facing a tall task

Most teams facing a 6-foot, 10-inch talent like Buckeye Trail center Elian Arick would tend to shy away from the paint.

Not Hiland, at least not on this night.

“The first time we played them, we only had one day to prepare, and Caleb Mishler hit nine 3-pointers, so we knew they were going to really be focused on stopping him,” Schlabach said. “Plus, we didn’t go inside enough that game, and Ryan wasn’t a big factor. That’s what we want to do against any zone defense, so we put a big emphasis on getting it in the paint.”

The showcase win

Having dealt Buckeye Trail a 40-point loss earlier, it would have been easy to assume another big win was in store for the Hawks. However, they came out of that game knowing they would likely face Buckeye Trail in this game and hammered home the point that they can’t take anything for granted.

“We thought they would be the best competition in the district, and I think we all felt it would be a tougher battle this time around,” Schlabach said. “I thought our guys were really mature about the way they approached this game after our first game with them.”

By the numbers

Zerger led the way with 18 points and eight rebounds while Yoder added a dozen points, CJ Yoder and Caleb Mishler tacked on nine points apiece, and Alex Miller added eight points and six rebounds.

The win continued a winning streak of 17 games for the Hawks, who captured their ninth district title in the past 10 seasons.