Boasting 14 deep, it's 'Frenzy-time' for Lady Hawks

By DAVE MAST

For some teams, the area in front of the scorer's table where players check in and out of games is as barren as a Serengeti plain.

For the Hiland Lady Hawks, it looks more like a bustling New York City subway station.

Finding players to put on the floor is not going to be a real issue for Hiland coach Dave Schlabach this year.

In the inaugural game of the 2013-2014 season, the floor in front of the bench was a beehive of activity, and at points appeared much like the scene in the movie "The Three Amigos," where amigos were sprinting into view from every possible angle, making it look like there were way too many players on the floor.

At least that is what it had to look like to the Twinsburg Tigers, who were run right off the court by 30 points.

Not only does Schlabach have a wealth of players, he has loads of talent returning from last season's Division IV runner-up team.

The headliner of the group is Cedarville-bound senior guard Regina Hochstetler. Hochstetler has shown a keen eye for drilling 3-pointers and has developed an all-around game to go with it, but she will be far from a lone threat.

"We are going to run some people in and out of games, that's for sure," said Schlabach.

We are what we are, we are a team of depth. for us, we have to rebound, but most of all we have to believe in our depth. I love our depth, and I love our style. You know what you're going to get when you play us this year."

What you are going to get is a none-too-good look at Hiland's swarming 12-player rotation.

The reason teams won't get a great look is becausse Schlabach will be running kids in and out of the game at a frenzied pace.

Not only does that keep them fresh, but it also creates havoc for teams trying to continually match up with the Lady Hawks.

Schlabach is hoping that the frenetic pace helps make up for a team that is very short, pun intended, on height.

While McKenzie Miller, a 6-footer, is the lone Hiland player to measure in at more than 5-feet-8, Hiland is tenacious on the glass.

On any give night, no Hiland player may snare more than five boards, but chances are good that a lot of them will have several.

That is the intense drive Schlabach has instilled in his girls to crash the boards relentlessly.

Rebounding is all about desire, and if early results are meaningful, there is more than enough desire to go around.

"I feel really good about the 12 kids I am running in and out of the lineup," said Schlabach.

"We aren't big and we know that. But we've got a lot of kids with a ton of heart, and that's what we have to have if we want to be able to rebound with teams this year."

Scoring duties will vary this year, but Schlabach is depending a lot on Hochstetler and Megan Beachy to be consistent threats. Senior point Emily Yoder will garner her fair share of points, many of them at the charity stripe, while fellow seniors Sasha Goings and Jenica Schrock are all-out types who can score if needed.

Sophomore Lindsey Yoder and Miller will also score on any given night as will bulldog forward Rachel Horn, who has become somewhat of an enforcer for the Lady Hawks.

Sophomore Brittany Miller is back after missing all of last season with a knee injury, and Schlabach said the feisty guard is one to watch.

"She has probably been our second most consistent scorer during the offseason," said Schlabach of Miller

Erin Schrock adds extra post presence, and the hope is that twice-injured Benay Miller can return to her former ability.

It should be fun to watch a team which has designs on another run to Columbus. Just make sure that if you attend a Lady Hawks game, you have a program handy.