When Jenica Schrock canned a 10-footer mid-way through the first quarter, it gave Hiland a 7-6 lead in its Div. IV State final contest against Fort Loramie on Saturday, March 16 at The Schott.

It would be the first, last and only time the Lady Hawks would lead in the game.

Athletic, smart and ferocious on defense, Hiland coach Dave Schlabach knew it would take a seriously solid effort to get the program's fifth State title in 13 attempts at the State tournament.

"I thought Fort Loramie's pressure really made us feel uncomfortable throughout the game," said Schlabach. "We tried to figure some things out, but that was the best defensive team we have seen all year."

For a while it looked plausible, but in the end, the Redskins proved to be simply too good, fending off the Lady Hawks at every challenge, to earn a 57-42 victory that was much closer than the score would indicate.

While Hiland never regained the lead after that Schrock jumper, they kept hanging around and hanging around, just like they have all tournament long against some good teams, which they then beat in the fourth quarter.

Trailing 14-9 after one quarter, before falling behind 20-9, Regina Hochstetler scored five quick points to make it 20-14. Moments later Kendra Schlabach hit a triple to carve the lead to just 20-17.

Meg Westerhelde scored inside, and when Hochstetler drove the paint and laid one in, Hiland trailed just 22-19 at the half.

Based on their prior tournament MO, they seemed to have the Redskins right where they wanted them.

Schlabach's lay-up trimmed the lead to one at 22-1, but Paige Ordean and Darian Rose scored to push it back to five. Renae Meyer's lay-up later in the quarter made it 32-23, and Hiland was in need of another comeback.

They got it when Hochstetler and Sasha Goings scored, and by the end of the third it was 34-28 Fort Loramie.

There was no panic for the Lady Hawks. They had been in this situation before.

But what they hadn't seen before was a physical, well-conditioned team like the Redskins who showed a great deal of poise in the face of Hiland's relentless pressure.

So when Natalie Nickol scored inside and Hochstetler hit a jumper to make it 43-40, Hiland expected one of their patented comeback runs.

What they got was a dose of Rose and a bunch of leadership from the Redskins that didn't allow them to fold.

"One of the things I kept telling our kids was that we know Hiland is a seasoned team," said Carla Siegel, Fort Loramies' head coach. "Every time they came over and they'd have these smiles on their faces, I kept telling them, 'It's not over until it's over.' This team fights back. They always fight back."

Rose and Hochstetler traded scores with 2:28 to play, but with Fort Loramie leading 45-42, they went to work inside, Hiland's one big inside, Jasmine Goings, having fouled out a couple of minutes earlier.

The Redskins continued to make plays, scoring easy buckets inside. When they weren't doing that, they were getting to the free throw line, where they made 10-of-10 down the stretch to put the game away.

Hiland, meanwhile, had several miscues and could not get anything to fall in the face of Fort Loramie's relentless defensive pressure.

"They just keep you off balance," said Schlabach of the Redskins. "They are so long. We tried to get to the rim and get to the free throw line, and that didn't work."

As for his team cutting the deficit to three late, only to see the Redskins go on a 14-2 run to end the game, Schlabach said that when they had to start fouling the game got out of hand, but he credited Fort Loramie coach Carla Siegel with making the right moves to keep them at bay.

"I thought they did a good job of moving the basketball and finding their post kids inside," said Schlabach. "I felt like when we had that run, if we could just get a lead, everything would change. But we had a tough time getting open looks for Regina and Kendra, and we didn't get to the free throw line. These games, they come down to a couple of plays here and there. All of a sudden in the middle of that run, if we get one more turnover, a call or whatever; a play or two. That's it."

Schlabach also said that while Jasmine Goings could guard one of their bigs inside, she couldn't contend with several at once.

As for Siegel, the relief of getting the school's first title was a long time coming.

With seven state appearances, and two runner-up banners, she was overjoyed they could finally break through.

"Finally," said Siegel with a grin. "This was a great win for our entire program. I wore that uniform for six years, and this is my 14th year as a head coach and I had five as an assistant. To finally get this, for the whole community, is amazing. This is for every girl who ever wore that Loramie jersey."

For Hiland, the season ends with a stellar 26-4 mark. Considering the schedule they played, it is a remarkable feat.

Schlabach said he is extremely proud of the team. They may not have been his most athletic, but they certainly exhibited the hearts of champions all season as they gutted their way to the State finals for a State record 13th time.