BERLIN — At the beginning of this season, the outside expectations for the Hiland girls basketball team were starkly different. It wasn't just that the preseason predictions weren't up to the normal, lofty standards — they were downright low.

"We had people in our community think we were going to have the worst team we've ever had," Hiland coach Dave Schlabach said. "There were people who thought we'd come in fourth in the league. A lot of our success is due to our kids becoming motivated to prove people wrong."

The Hawks have done just that as they prepare for the 14th Final Four appearance in school history — one would think people would know better by now.

Hiland (27-1) plays Fort Loramie (24-4) on Thursday at 3 p.m. in the Div. IV state semifinals at the Jerome Schottenstein Center. Given that Schlabach's stated expectation every year is to win the state championship, the fact that his squad has reached Columbus once again is hardly surprising. Then again, before the season the Hawks had no size — one player on the roster taller than 5-foot-9 — along with very limited returning experience. Senior Megan Beachy was the only returner who scored in the 2014 district final loss to Zanesville Bishop Rosecrans and junior Brittany Miller was the only other player who'd seen meaningful time on the floor the previous season.

Schlabach admits that on paper, this should not have been one of his strongest squads.

"Without a doubt, this season we started with the most question marks we've ever had," said Schlabach, who's in his 24th year at the helm. "We lost seven kids from the last year's team, had a freshman point guard and no size."

The results, however, haven't changed. The Hawks won their first 15 games of the season, highlighted by a win over rival West Holmes to snap the Knights' 33-game winning streak as well as victories over Div. I squads Reynoldsburg and Tecumseh at Classic in the Country. Schlabach said that while others may have had their doubts, those within the program — him, his players and his coaches — never wavered in their expectation to carry the mantle that's been set as one of the most consistent programs in Ohio.

"Our kids recognized that everyone outside our circle felt that way," Schlabach said, "and that motivated them."

"We were a surprise to a lot of people," Beachy said, "but we took that as motivation. I loved proving people wrong."

Along with the uncertainties around the team's lack of size and inexperience, there were also questions of how the team would simply put points on the board. The team graduated Regina Hochstetler, an All-Ohio shooting guard who was one of the most prolific scorers in program history, putting up 18.7 points per game as a senior. The Hawks never really found a replacement for her, in part because they didn't need to. Hiland has adopted a more balanced attack and has had a different scoring leader in each of its last three tournament games.

"With Regina leaving, they thought it'd be one player to take her role," Miller said, "but it's been all of us."

"We have four to five kids that can beat you on any given night," Schlabach said. "We've had great supporting casts for players like McKenzie Miller and Regina Hochstetler, but they didn't score as much. This year we're not thinking of 17 ways to get Regina shots."

Beachy adds that the chemistry on this year's team is better because the Hawks rely on a rotation of a dozen deep to contribute.

"The upperclassmen respect the underclassmen more," she said, "because we know we need them to come off the bench and make plays."

The season has been particularly sweet for seniors Alex Troyer and Rachel Horn. The 5-7 guard Troyer has come up through the Hiland program since she was 6, while the 5-8 post Horn came to the Hiland program as a freshman from West Holmes. Neither of them saw the floor the last three years, but they've been integral contributors this year and will end their careers in Columbus. Troyer said that for any young girl growing up in Berlin, that's always the dream.

"I've always thought about it," she said. "When you're little, watching Hilary (Weaver), Noelle (Yoder) and Jena (Stutzman), I always wanted that to be me. Now I get that chance."

"I never thought about playing at state until I came to Hiland," Horn said. "That's all anybody ever talked about was making it to Columbus."

Schlabach said it's certainly not the biggest or most athletic team he's ever had, but the players share one trait with the great teams of years past — a tremendous work ethic.

"We've never had a year where expectations were so low outside of our group and the challenges were so great," he said. "At the same time, most kids were managers for state teams. They see what it's about and they don't want to give it up.

"In girls basketball," he added, "if you develop skills and work hard, you have a chance. This group is very skilled. We still have a lot of young kids, but they don't seem so young anymore."

Schlabach demands an incredible amount of dedication from his players, but Troyer points out that the results speak for themselves.

"It goes to show that coach is right," she said. "Putting in the work in the summer isn't fun and you don't always wanna be in the gym," she said, "but it always pays off."

The coach and his players were right all along./p>