Hiland sophomore Angela Troyer has stepped up to the free throw line many times this season. Those early season trips to the line pale in comparison though to the situation Troyer found herself in on Saturday night March 14, at Perry High School.

With the score knotted at 28 apiece between Hiland and Cuyahoga Heights, and with just under 20 seconds in left in the Div. IV Regional Final, the Lady Hawks got the ball to Troyer at the high post.

The smooth southpaw made a spin move at the top of the paint and drove hard to the rim. Troyer didn’t hit the tough bank shot, but she was fouled and went to the line with just 3.9 seconds remaining.

A possible trip to the big arena in Columbus now rested in Troyer’s hands.

The first attempt soared to the rim, drew back iron and skipped off the front of the rim to the floor. Miss. Troyer’s second attempt then was fired on target. Splash. The free throw make gave the Lady Hawks a 29-28 lead.

“The second one, I knew I needed to knock down,” said Troyer about the clutch freebie. “I thought the first one was going in, and when that one didn’t go in, I knew I had to hit the second.”

Cuyahoga Heights then made a great pass over the half-court line and quickly called a timeout. With 1.9 left, everyone in the gym knew the Redskins would be looking to get the ball to their leading scorer, Jenna Stegmaier.

Problem for Stegmaier and the Lady Redskins is her shadow for most of the night, Brittany Miller, wanted the chance at shutting down the athletic forward one last time to give the Lady Hawks the final four berth.

“We were sitting on the bench and coach looked down and I told him, I got her. He looked at me and said okay,” said the junior Miller with a massive smile on her face.

Oh and she got her alright. Miller blocked the 3-point attempt from Stegmaier that would have beaten the clock and the Lady Hawks hung on for the nail-biting win 29-28.

These two massive plays that helped the Lady Hawks solidify their 14th trip to Columbus. A state record.

“You know she (Angela Troyer) doesn’t start for us,” said Hiland coach Dave Schlabach about Troyer’s trip to the line. “To make the call to go to her, with a state trip on the line, showed our confidence in our bench and our balance.”

Cuyahoga Heights (23-5), who won its regional semi-final game 28-13, almost upset Zanesville Rosecrans last season in the regional tournament only losing by a point. Rosecrans got to the state title game a year ago after narrowly slipping past the Lady Redskins. While some thought this may be a mismatch, the mastermind Schlabach knew better.

“I did warn our kids,” said Schlabach. “This was the game that Rosecrans had last year. It was 21-20 against these guys. If we win this one by 20, that’s one thing. I feel like our kids deserve now to go to Columbus. Our shirts say deserve your dream. I think they now deserve to go to Columbus.”

Hiland(27-1) trailed 6-0 to start the game, but evened things up by the end of the quarter 6-6. It was the low-scoring affair that Cuyahoga Heights hoped for.

Troyer broke the tie when she hit a corner three for the Lady Hawks that pushed the lead to 9-6. Four straight points from senior Rachel Horn then gave Hiland a 13-8 lead with a 1:30 to play in the first half.

Stegmaier managed to slip away from her shadow, Miller, just long enough to pump in a bucket before the end of the half. Hiland led 13-10 at the break.

The Redskins outscored Hiland 7-2 to start the third period to take a 19-15 lead. The grind was on. It was going to be a battle the rest of the way for the Lady Hawks who seemed unable to tire out Cuyahoga Heights, an advantage Hiland can usually count on. The Redskins played just six players.

A Troyer drive for two got Hiland back to 19-17 and then freshman point guard Kennedy Schlabach put her team on her shoulders and hit back-to-back 3-pointers to regain the lead for the Lady Hawks at 23-19. That is how the quarter would end.

“I thought both shots she took were contested and she had to get them off quick,” said Schlabach about the trifectas from his point guard. “She wanted the ball. I do not have a freshman point guard anymore, I just have a point guard. She has taken a good team and made them great.”

Schlabach’s threes would keep Hiland ahead all the way until Cuyahoga tied it at 28. The tying hoop for the Lady Redskins came from Dayna Denner with just 40 seconds to play setting up the heroics from Troyer and Miller.

A low scoring game was just what Cuyahoga wanted. Their style of play itself was nearly enough to overcome the No. 1 ranked team in Div. IV.

“That’s one of the better coached teams that we have played all year,” said Schlabach. “I thought they shut us down and took away our stuff. Defensively they don’t give you anything. They don’t foul ever. You don’t get any free throws. You get no lay-ups, so those kind of teams can beat you.”

Hiland got the one free throw they needed though to have a shot at bringing home its fifth state championship. The Lady Hawks’ last title came in 2008.

Schlabach finished with 10 points, Angela Troyer had eight including the free throw that will go down in Hiland history. Miller finished with five and Horn had the four points she scored in a row during the second quarter.

The Lady Hawks will now take on Fort Loramie on Thursday, March 19 in the Jerome Schottenstein center. That game will be played at 3pm.