How do you win a title? Here are the keys to victory

In any double-overtime game, key moments and clutch plays are paramount in who comes away the victor and who leaves wondering “what if?”

The Division VI state championship game that saw Hiland outlast Marion Local 54-51 in double-OT had more than its share of shining moments.

Here are the top plays, moments and performances that defined this instant classic:

Grant Bille’s “ice in the veins” free throws

Grant Bille had watched his team play the title game from the bench for 38 minutes and 41 seconds. Then with 1:19 left to play, head coach Mark Schlabach looked his way and said, “You’re up.” Twenty-three seconds later with his team trailing by one, Bille grabbed an offensive board and was fouled. With the game in the balance, Bille stepped up and delivered two perfect free throws that barely made a whisper as they passed through the net.

“Every day in practice, we practice making five free throws in a row, and I’m used to it,” Bille said. “I treated it like any other free throw; you just close out all the noise and focus on the things you can control. It’s something I’ll always remember.”

CJ Yoder’s free throw encore presentation

Yoder doesn’t start for Hiland, but he plays like a starter. With Hiland nursing a precarious 52-51 lead and Marion local seeking to end things to their liking, with 20 seconds left Yoder stepped into the lane and made a game-changing steal. With 17 seconds left, he too would be called upon to test his nerves at the charity stripe. All he did was exactly what Bille did, giving Hiland a 54-51 lead. As the Flyers frantically tried to get off a game-tying trey in hopes of forcing a third overtime, Luke Everman’s desperation 3-ball looked good but caromed off the back iron, and Yoder and his teammates flooded the floor in celebration.

“Well, that was the scariest thing ever,” Yoder said. “You just take deep breathes and you don’t hear all the noise because you’re so focused on the shot. This is the exact moment we prepared for all season.”

Defense stands tall in regulation

Trailing 39-34 with 1:31 to play, things looked bleak for the Hawks. Then came the comeback to rival the miracle magic of Jr. Raber and 1992. Ryan Zerger, who was named MVP for the game with his 18-point, 11-rebound effort, split two free throws. The Flyers missed from point blank range with 55 seconds left, and Hiland turned it into an Alex Miller score with 49 seconds left.

Then Marion Local started missing a load of free throws, but Hiland failed to secure rebounds and the Flyers had loads of chances to grow its lead. It did manage to finally make one to push the lead to 40-37 with 40 seconds to play. A missed opportunity for the Hawks led to another pair of split free throws, and the Flyers were again in command 41-37 with just 30 seconds to play.

Miller pushed his way through traffic to score again, cutting the lead in half with 22 seconds.

Miller then made a steal, tipping the ball to Ashton Schrock, who was by far the biggest factor in this contest in bringing Hiland back time after time. Schrock, who had not scored a single point until there was 3:35 left in regulation but then racked up nine points in seven minutes, stepped to the line and delivered two huge free throws to tie the score and force one final hope for ML to win it in regulation.

The block to end 32 minutes

The defense had stood tall for Hiland all game, and it would have to make one final stand. It did, courtesy of Zerger. Kale Ehrans slashed to the hole as the clock hit :02. His short pull-up was stuffed by Zerger, who blocked it, sending the game into overtime, where fans had a chance to finally catch their breath.

Kremer delivers twice

Hiland pushed out to a commanding 47-42 lead. Hiland faithful were itching to celebrate a fourth school championship, but ML guard Grant Kremer was having none of it. With 35 seconds left, Kremer drilled a long 3-pointer, and after Schrock split two free throws to give the Hawks a 48-45 lead with 32 ticks left to play, Kremer delivered again with a hand right in his face, tying things at 48 with 24 seconds to play. Hiland failed to get off a shot, and it was off to double-OT.

“I don’t really think too much when I shoot the ball,” Kremer said. “I just let it fly, and luckily, they went in and gave us a chance to get to second OT.”

The little giant

Schrock was the smallest guy on the floor on this night, but you can’t measure heart in inches. What you can do is measure height in inches, where Schrock was asked to guard All-Ohio point guard Brayden Mescher, who stood 7 inches taller than the Hiland guard. All Schrock did was play the defensive game of a lifetime, harassing Mescher, holding him to just six points and forcing him into nine turnovers.

“Mescher’s a great player, an All-Ohio player and one of the best players we’ve seen all year,” Schlabach said. “That’s Ashton Schrock. He was the difference-maker out there tonight.”

Schrock was having none of the individual praise, noting this was a true team effort.

“You just have to trust your coaches and teammates in times like that and trust each other to make plays, and we did when we had to,” Schrock said. “I think each and every one of these guys would have stepped up and did step up to make big plays throughout the game.”

For a play-by-play from the game and all the state tournament games, visit www.ohsaa.org/sports/boysbasketball.