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Hiland learns from its loss
Stutzman's free throws key in last-second win

By ELLIOTT SCHREINER
Daily Record Sports Writer

BERLIN -- With under 10 seconds left and the ball going in all different directions, it appeared as if the Hiland girls basketball team was headed for a second straight heartbreaking loss.

With her team down 45-44, senior Lindsay Stuckey corralled the loose ball and tried to get a shot off underneath her basket, but lost her grip.

The ball wound up in the hands of guard Jena Stutzman, who put up a shot and was fouled with 7.9 seconds left.

The sophomore was shooting 2-of-13 from the floor and had been in a bit of a slump of late.

But she was able to connect on her two attempts, giving the Hawks (9-2, 8-0 IVC) a 46-45 victory over rival Garaway (11-2, 8-2 IVC) and a two-game cushion in the Inter-Valley Conference.

"It was nice to see Jena at the line at the end of the game," Hiland coach Dave Schlabach said.  "She's been struggling the last two weeks and I don't think there's any better way to break out than that."

It appeared that it would be another repeat of the final two games of Monday's Classic in the Country.  Garaway walked away with a last-second win over Miami Trace that day, while Hiland was dealt a last-second loss.

In the end, it probably could have gone either way.

"I don't think any coach can fault either team," Garaway coach Scott Bardall said.

"One team won by one and one team lost by one."

For Hiland, while Monday may have been a tally in the loss column, it may have been just what the doctor ordered.

"We're at a notch more in poise," Schlabach said.  "If we didn't go through what we went through Monday, then we may not have won tonight."

The Hawks had their chance to make runs on Garaway, but it wasn't in the cards.

In the first quarter, a 3-pointer by freshman Karli Mast gave the Hawks an 11-6 lead, but the Pirates responded with a 10-2 run.

It was more of the same coming out of the halftime lockerroom.

Hiland dominated early in the third quarter, going on an 8-2 run to push its lead to eight three minutes into the frame.  But by the end of the quarter, the Hawks were in need of the deep trey they got from Stutzman that gave them a 35-32 advantage.

Minutes later, when they pushed their lead to five in the fourth, the Pirates again came back and took a three-point lead with under a minute left.

"Our kids gave a great effort," Bardall said.

"We had a chance to win."

That was thanks in part to an 18-point, 14-rebound performance from Laura Bardall.  The Pirates also got 13 points out of Erica Hershberger and 10 out of older sister Molly Hershberger.

The only Hawk to go into double figures was Stuckey, who again was all over the court.  She finished with 18 points and seven boards, six of which came on the offensive glass.

Stuckey was the team's spark plug from start to finish.

"Anytime we get a win like this one they are going to pull together and gain confidence," Schlabach said.  "Lindsay Stuckey is always at a high confidence level.  But the other nine kids have been up and down like a yo-yo and that's something we'll have to work on."

The Hawks have played their three tightest games of the season in the last five games and have learned more and more about each other.

Some has been positive and some negative.  But according to Schlabach, it's better catching those problems now than later.

"We know we have more deficiencies than we knew about heading into the Classic," he said.

But we feel better now that we know what they are."

Courtesy The Daily Record, Wooster, Ohio

 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
 
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