Daily Record Sports Editor
Hiland vs. Chippewa girls basketball.
No. 1 in the Div. IV Associated Press State Poll vs. No. 1 in the Div. III AP Poll.
A 15-0 Hawks team vs. a 16-0 Chipps team.
Oh yeah, add in two legendary coaches in Dave Schlabach and Denny Schrock, who have each topped 500 career wins.
The longtime bench bosses were looking for a good tournament test when they signed a two-year contract in the offseason for their teams to play each other: This Monday at Chippewa, next season at Hiland.
What they've ended up with is arguably the biggest regular-season game in area girls basketball history in an unprecedented local matchup between state No. 1 teams.
Chippewa's gym can seat about 875 fans according to athletic director Drew Conyers and a sellout is expected. Just about every print and radio outlet that covers Wayne and Holmes County will be there and tickets will be at a premium.
After checking with numerous coaches and school officials, as well as The Daily Record archives, as far as I can tell this is the first time in area history two AP basketball poll leaders for boys or girls will play.
Schrock understands the added hype that comes with the No. 1 rankings, but he is trying to keep things in perspective for his girls.
"I think we still look at it as a great experience for us to get ready for the tournament," said Schrock, in his second stint as Chippewa girls coach with a 548-128 record over 28 combined seasons. He has won 22 Wayne County Athletic League titles and coached a Div. III state runner-up team in 1994. "(Schlabach) probably thinks about how my pressure defense will help him and I know that his motion offense and the way that they play fundamentally sound basketball will help us.
"First and foremost, we looked at it as an opportunity to get better before the tournament started. Now that you add the ratings for both of us, it just adds a little bit more excitement to the game."
Schlabach has built one of Ohio's all-time great programs, carrying a 521-82 record over 24 seasons into Monday's matchup. The Hawks have been to state in Div. IV 11 times under Schlabach and won four state championships. Hiland has won the Inter-Valley Conference in 20 of his 24 seasons.
One of the ways Schlabach has been able to have such incredible success is always seeking out the best possible opponents for non-conference games.
"With our non-league games, we try to schedule six teams that are going to beat us," Schlabach said. "We want games where, unless we play incredibly and way above our potential, we are going to get beat. We thought Chippewa might be the best Div. III team in the state and that could very well end up being the case.
"We are very excited to play (Chippewa)," Schlabach continued. "We know it's going to be a hostile environment over there, which is always good for our kids to experience. They present a lot of problems that we've had trouble with over the past number of years — that's those long lanky teams."
Re-read the first part of Schlabach's comment: "(W)e try to schedule six teams that are going to beat us."
In this society where parents want little Johnny or Sally to win trophies in everything, who actually tries to set their kids up with games they could easily to lose?
It's a phenomenal coaching approach because Schlabach knows that playing the toughest opponents possible will only make his teams better in the long run.
"The really good programs aren't afraid to lose and aren't afraid to challenge themselves," Schlabach said.
Hiland has clearly done that with wins against defending Div. II state champ West Holmes, Reynoldsburg and Tecumseh at the Classic in the Country, as well as a trip to Hathaway Brown coming up.
Schrock is also challenging his Chipps as much as possible, with four games against Div. I teams, wins over Canton Central Catholic and Hathaway Brown (at the CITC) and this game against Hiland.
Some people have suggested moving the game to a bigger gym, but the Chipps feel the community deserves to see the game in their gym.
"It's going to be a regional final-type atmosphere Monday," said Schrock, who's known for his trapping defenses. "There will be a lot of yelling in the stands and media hype going in.
"I'm sure everyone is excited for this in Berlin and I know they are up here in Doylestown. It's a very special event for both schools."
HILAND-CHIPPEWA SCOUTING REPORT — Schlabach didn't give a very optimistic scouting report at first glance when he stated, "(Chippewa) is about exactly like us, but six inches bigger in every position. "They have tremendous length, but are very skilled," he continued. "They shoot the ball, they get so much off their pressure. It's one of those games where we feel like we are going to get a lot out of it no matter what."
Hiland basketball fans know Schlabach's teams have almost always been undersized, but the preparation, intensity and teamwork they have allows them to play much bigger.
The Hawks lost seven of their top nine players from last year's team and their tallest starter is 5-foot-9 senior Megan Beachy, a Div. II Urbana commit, who leads the team with 15.6 points a game.
Senior Rachel Horn (5-8) is a Div. II Fairmont State signee and averages 6.9 points a game and 4.1 rebounds, while freshman Kennedy Schlabach (5-3) averages 10.4 ppg. Junior Brittany Miller (5-6, 6.5 ppg) and senior Alex Troyer (5-7) complete the starting lineup. Sophomore Angela Troyer (5-7) has been a key sub with 8.6 ppg.
Chippewa is led by the trio of 6-1 junior Ashley Richardson (16.3 ppg, 11.9 rpg, Akron volleyball commit), 5-11 junior Carly Koncz (14.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and 6-1 sophomore Taylor Richards (10.8 ppg). Seniors Maegan Storad (5-4, 6 assists per game) and Izzy Farmwald (5-6) round out the starting lineup.
The Chipps' 3-point shooting could be the X-factor as they will have the comfort of shooting in their own gym. However, they weren't shooting well from the outside on the road at the CITC and still managed to beat Hathaway Brown. Both teams also have solid bench players.
"I guess for the first time playing them with us being both ranked highly it's probably better to be at home," Schrock said. "But you know what, if it had been on the road we'd have boarded the bus and went."
Schlabach said his team has been smaller in every game this season, but has only been outrebounded once. The battle on the boards will obviously be a key factor.
"We have a lot of respect for Denny and his program," Schlabach said. "The last we played them (Chippewa) was 2000 (53-37 Hiland win). That was our first state championship year.
"This is going to be a tournament-like atmosphere that we are going to be able to take a lot from."
Chippewa will sell presale tickets on Monday from 8 am - 4:30 pm at the school's athletic office. WCAL season passes will not be honored, but Doylestown senior citizen passes, student and staff passes will be.
With a complete sellout expected and little parking available, Chippewa officials are advising fans to carpool if possible. Gates will open at 4:30 p.m.
