The Cuyahoga Heights girls basketball team knows what it feels like to get stung by the Ice Damsel. They weren’t the first, and they probably won’t be the last.

With her team facing a monumental upset bid by CHHS in a low-scoring regional final that saw both teams dig in their heels on defense and never let go, it was going to take a heroic effort on someone’s part to finish this thriller off.

That someone proved to be the Ice Damsel, Angela Troyer.

The smooth-stroking lefty had carved quite a niche for herself all season, knocking down big shot after big shot despite being just a sophomore. Even more impressively, she selflessly sacrificed a starting spot because head coach Dave Schlabach wanted her scoring punch coming off the bench.

But it isn’t who starts but who finishes that matters the most, and Troyer proved she could be the biggest finisher of all, canning a free throw with almost no time left to give her team a 29-28 victory.

The Ice Damsel had struck, her frozen dagger slicing right to the very heart of the Redskins.

“Angela is one of those kids that wants the ball in every big situation, said Schlabach. “She is a confident kid who doesn’t always look smooth, but she almost always produces, and she is never one to back down from a challenge. She is the ultimate gamer.”

When it comes to the will to be the one delivering the knockout punch, it takes a player who is confident and skilled. Without either, it probably isn’t going to turn out well. Schlabach said he has seen his fair share of kids who have had wide open looks at crunch time and decided to pass up the opportunity out of fear of failure.

He noted that all of the Hiland greats he has coached, players like Jena Stutzman, Regina Hostetler and Erin Hostetler, all have exhibited that willingness to deliver at crunch time.

“It’s an attitude that you aren’t going to fail, and you have to want to be in that situation where your team is relying on you to get the job done when it matters the most,” Schlabach said.

The Ice Damsel exhibited that characteristic not just at the end of the Cuyahoga Heights game but numerous times throughout the season. In the biggest games, Troyer seems to be at her best, a trait that no coach can teach.

“It comes from wanting to be in that situation, and being willing to work hard enough that when that situation does arise, that you are capable of responding,” said Schlabach. “Angie has done all of that hard work that has prepared her for those kinds of situations, and like all great players, she has made herself what she is through her hard work.”

All that hard work has led to some fun celebrations for Troyer and her teammates, like celebrating a trip to Columbus after a clutch free throw.