BERLIN -- If the Hiland backcourt of Hilary Weaver and Noelle Yoder wasn't as good as it is, well, the Hawks wouldn't still be playing.

Last Thursday, in a Div. IV regional semifinal, Hiland trailed Lutheran East by three points with just five seconds to play, with the length of the floor to navigate.

Weaver handled that part, snaring the in-bounds pass and racing up the floor. Yoder took care of the rest, taking the pass from her running mate, turning, and draining the game-tying 3-pointer.

The Hawks went on to win in overtime. Friday, the two senior guards will lead Hiland into a state semifinal against Minster as, perhaps, Ohio's best pair.

Point guard Weaver, a repeat selection this year as co-Div. IV Player of the Year, became the school's all-time assists leader this season and averages 7.6 assists to go with 14.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 4 steals per game.

Yoder, the off guard and a second-team all-Ohioan, is Hiland's top scorer at 17.8 points a game, including 60 3-pointers. She adds 4.1 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.

The two have been playing together since grade school and, for the past two seasons, at Hiland.

"They've been really good friends a long time, there's a good chemistry," Hiland coach Dave Schlabach said. "There's something to be said for kids who play together. They know where each other are at. Noelle knew where that pass was going to be the other night.

"Hilary's a true point guard and Noelle's a true off-guard. She's a scorer," the 20-year head coach added. "As a basketball guy, I love watching skilled kids. If I wasn't coaching, I'd still enjoy watching them. They can both do a multitude of things -- handle the ball, pull up and shoot, drive. It's nice to be able to watch them."

Weaver scored 10 points in Hiland's 2008 championship game win over Columbus Africentric while Yoder was completing her sophomore year at West Holmes. Last year, after Yoder transferred to Hiland, the two led the Hawks back to the title game, where they lost to Africentric.

This year, they've led the Hawks back to Columbus with just two losses -- one to Div. III powerhouse Regina, which was disqualified from the OHSAA tournament last week, and the other to Potter's House of Florida at the Classic in the Country, held annually at Hiland.

Officially, then, Weaver and Yoder haven't even played two full seasons together. The way their skills mesh, it seems like they've been a backcourt forever.

"We played together all the way through grade school, AAU, all the Hiland stuff. We've gotten comfortable together on the floor," Weaver said. "Someone as good as Noelle, it's easy to be comfortable with her, it's easy to find her."

Added Yoder: "It's just something about me and Hilary. We know what each other will do, just from playing together all that time."

Schlabach was himself an outstanding point guard at Hiland and collegiately at Malone, and has an appreciation for the players who have filled the role during his tenure -- while watching them closely.

"There are times when I think he's harder on me," admitted Weaver. "The point guard has so much responsibility ... throughout my four years, I've learned how to handle it.

"I like to have the ball in my hands, being in control of the situation. I'm perfectly confident in my teammates, but then again, I like having it in my hands in pressure situations."

While Weaver has been running the point for Hiland since grade school, Yoder had to join in with a group coming off of a state title run.

"Basketball was a big part of it," Yoder said of her decision to transfer to the school. "We're like a family, we're always there for each other. We're like sisters, and I really like that family feeling, that closeness."

"Noelle fit in because she's an extremely hard worker and extremely competitive," Schlabach said. "From Day 1, she had the same goals her teammates had, and that was to commit to seeing how good you can become."

Both will play Div. I college basketball, with the 5-foot-7 Yoder going to Bowling Green and the 5-6 Weaver attending Lehigh. Both schools qualified for the NCAA tournament.

"It'll be an adjustment," Weaver said. "I plan on working as hard as I can. I don't want to be just a practice player, I want to contribute. I set big goals, and I'll do what I need to do to accomplish them."

"My goal is to get minutes as a freshman," added Yoder. "I'm the type, I want to play as a freshman and I'll do anything possible to make that happen."

Their high school coach has learned not to doubt his talented guards.

"I think they'll both be impact players," Schlabach said. "Those two, they understand the challenges, but they're also so competitive that they'll get to make their contributions."