SCHLABACH CONFIDENT HIS GIRLS WILL FIGURE OUT HOW TO WIN

By ART HOLDEN
Daily Record Sports Writer

Veteran Hiland girls basketball coach Dave Schlabach can't remember the last time he had to replace seven letterwinners. But true to form, Schlabach says a state championship is still the Lady Hawks' goal, and somehow they just have to figure out a way to get it done.

"We can't allow excuses to creep in," said Schlabach, now in his 24th season at the school. "We expect the kids to perform. They'll figure it out."

In Schlabach's two-plus decades at the helm of the Hiland girls program, he's won 506 of 588 games by going with a nine-girl rotation, a ploy that usually leaves plenty of returning players each year after graduation hits. The loss of five seniors off last year's 22-4 team was expected, but then a pair of juniors decided to not return this year, including Lindsey Yoder, who would have been the starting point guard. That leaves just Megan Beachy and Brittany Miller as the lone players with extended varsity experience.

Beachy, a 5-foot-7 senior, averaged 8.6 points a game last year, while Miller scored 5.6. Not coming back is nearly 40 points a game, including 18.9 a night from Regina Hochstetler, now applying her craft at Cedarville College.

"We've got four points back from last year's district championship game," said Schlabach. "The girls are searching for new roles. It's going to be interesting. I don't think there's high expectations from people outside the program, but we refuse to lower our expectations."

Role players Alex Troyer (5-5 senior), Rachel Horn (5-8 senior) and Mackenzie Miller (5-10 senior), who all lettered last year, should move into the starting rotation, but in Schlabach's system, that doesn't really mean much.

"We play nine girls in the first quarter every game," he said.

Pushing for playing time will be 5-9 junior Lish Miller, 5-7 sophomore Angie Troyer, 5-5 freshman Sara Keim, 5-6 10th grader Issabelle Fowler, and Schlabach's 5-5 freshman daughter, Kennedy.

With Yoder not returning, Kennedy Schlabach will get a quick introduction to varsity basketball as the Hawks' point guard.

"Hopefully I can treat her like any other player," Dave Schlabach said. "She's a tough kid who has seen a lot of basketball. Her basketball IQ will make up for her being a freshman."

One nice thing is that dad isn't expecting big points from his daughter, but is expecting her to find the open girl and run the show.

Scoring will start with Beachy and Brittany Miller, with everyone else pitching in.

"Rachel Horn and Alex Troyer have to have big years," coach Schlabach said. "And we'll have to have a solid year from someone else for us to make some noise.

"After that," he continued, "we'll have to get a number of girls scoring 4, 6, 8 points a game."

Adding to Schlabach's difficulty this year is a challenging non-league schedule, that not only includes a pair of tough Classic in the Country matchups, but the annual date with rival West Holmes (Dec. 13), a game vs. Chippewa and a matchup at Hathaway Brown.

"We have a tremendous non-league schedule," Schlabach said. "We lack size, we have no post player, and will probably play five guards a lot of the time. But, we'll do what we do -- we'll fire it up and hope a few go in.

"Our philosophy is not going to change."