DAYTON — OK, where to start.
I don’t even know. My mind is still blown away from what I just witnessed.
But lets start here.
In my four years as a sportswriter for USA Today/Gannett, the OHSAA Division VI state championship game between Hiland and Marion Local on Saturday, March 21, at the University of Dayton Arena was the best high school basketball game — boys or girls — I’ve ever covered.
Yes, THE BEST.
The scene was set. No. 1 Marion Local (26-1) vs No. 2 Berlin Hiland (25-3).
Marion Local brought height — 10 players on the roster were six feet or taller, while four of their five starters stood six feet or taller — strength and a bruising style on both ends of the floor to the table.
Hiland’s mix of youth, experience, skill, shooting, ball handling, inside game and offensive-defensive balance was the real deal.
The entire game was the real deal.
Both fanbases played their role.
If you like low scoring football games, then the first quarter was for you.
It was more like a rock fight.
6-5 Marion Local.
Both defenses were getting into each other. Bumping. Body to body contact. Contesting darn near every shot. It was sloppy at times but hey, that’s what a rock fight looks like.
Usually in sporting events on any level that transform into classics, something surprising or out of thin air happens.
The unpredictability baby.
Well, from the jump that was Hiland’s 5-foot-8 senior guard Ashton Shrock defending probably Marion Local’s top player and main ball handler in 6-foot-3 Brayden Mescher.
What in the world was that all about? You’re probably thinking mismatch, right?
Mescher had five inches and likely about 40-50 pounds on Shrock. It didn’t matter. Schrock and his smaller frame got low in his defensive stance, got into Mescher’s chest, bodied him, kept in front of him and harassed Mescher the entire game.
Mescher’s stat line told the story: 39 minutes played, nine turnovers, six points on just three shot attempts.
Hiland head coach Mark Schlabach said the mastermind in that move came from assistant coach Paul Zacour and also added that Schrock should have been the state title game MVP.
“I saw that he was 6’3″. I just had to trust my coaches because they know so much basketball,” said Schrock. “It worked out.”
It’s been working out all season for the Hawks on that side of the ball. The on-ball defense. The way they position their hands and get their hands on balls, whether it’s getting deflections or steals, or just the way they slide their feet. It’s not a coincidence going into Saturday that they had held every opponent this season to under 60 points and 11 times held opposing teams to 30 points or less.
The Hawks forced the Flyers to turn it over eight times in the first half (Hiland just one turnover), as they carried an 18-14 lead into halftime.
Both offenses picked up a little bit in the third quarter — Hiland led 28-27 after three quarters — but it was very much still an intense rock fight and a game that was as dead even as can be.
The drama would only grow from here.
For the rest of this writing piece, get used to hearing the name Grant Kremer. That would be Marion Local’s shooting guard who shot lights out in this one.
He nailed a 3-pointer to put the Flyers up 34-30 with 5:01 minutes left.
Momentum with Marion Local.
Then on two straight offensive possessions for Hiland, Shrock — who hadn’t taken a field goal attempt through the first three quarters — scored two baskets on two hard drives. With Hiland down 36-34, Kremer’s top of the key 3-pointer on a broken play put Marion Local up 39-34 with 1:20 to play.
The outcome wasn’t set in stone but you can sense the feeling amongst the Flyers faithful was that they were this close to sniffing a state title.
And it looked that way, especially with Hiland senior forward Caleb Yoder fouling out. That is until Hiland made an array of clutch plays that really can’t be understated.
With time running out with under a minute left and down 39-35, Hiland senior point guard Alex Miller pushed the ball quickly up the court for a coast-to-coast layup that he was fouled on. Miller was pumped. He missed the foul shot and their was a loose ball foul on Hiland. Marion Local went back up four 41-37 after making two free throws.
Then Miller put the burners on again and attacked the hoop for a score. 41-39 Marion Local.
After the basket, Hiland immediately showed a full-court press and Miller made a game-saving defensive play. He got his hands on the ball and poked it away from a Flyers player, as bodies hit the floor after it. The ball landed right to Schrock, where he went up for layup and was fouled.
With the pressure on, he sunk both free throws and a block from Hiland sophomore center Ryan Zerger (18 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks, state title game MVP) in the closing seconds took this game into overtime 41-all.
Just WOW.
The winning plays kept coming from the Hawks.
Hiland scored first in OT with a Miller (11 points, 5 steals, 4 rebounds, 2 assists) assist to Zerger.
43-41 Hiland.
Schrock then got to the basket for a layup. 45-42 Hiland.
Later, after being fouled, Zerger stepped up and made two foul shots. With the Hawks holding a 47-42 edge with 44 seconds to play, the state title was right in their hands.
That is until it wasn’t.
You know that Kremer kid from Marion Local I mentioned earlier? He was like a thorn in Hiland’s side.
On the very next offensive possession, Kremer nailed a 3 off a gorgeous looking catch-and-shoot jumper. 47-45 Hiland.
After Schrock made 1 of 2 free throws (Hiland 48-45), that darn Kremer (game-high 22 points, 5 3-pointers) answered again, as he drilled another 3-pointer with 22 seconds to even it up at 48-all.
Double overtime here we go.
At this point, you just had to shake your head in disbelief.
Just when Marion Local had it won in the fourth quarter, they didn’t. Just when Hiland were close to winning it in overtime, they couldn’t finish it.
Schlabach summed it up best in the postgame conference.
“I don’t know what happened in that game other than we had no business taking it into overtime. They probably had no business taking it into double overtime.”
He was probably right.
A media member sitting next to me on press row said, “The game will never end.”
I didn’t want it to end.
This was getting too good. As the stakes went up, the amount of winning plays from both teams only multiplied.
With Marion Local up 51-50 in double OT and Schrock fouling out, Hiland would put a bow on this game at the foul line. Junior forward Grant Bille sunk two free throws (52-51 Hiland) with 56 seconds left. Then after getting a pass deflection on defense and drawing a foul, senior forward CJ Yoder nailed home two free throws with 17 seconds on the clock.
A last minute defensive stand closed the deal and the Division VII state championship for the Hawks, the school’s fourth state title.
Hiland 54, Marion Local 51- 2OT
The game was like a suspense thriller right out of a Alfred Hitchcock film.
Or maybe it was an action thriller. Or a boxing match where each team threw big blow after big blow hoping to knockout the other but it never came about.
People who were in attendance can decide on it.
Afterwards Schlabach, said it was the best Hiland basketball game he’s ever been a part of in his 21 seasons coaching the Hawks.
For this sportswriter, it was the best high school basketball game I’ve ever covered.
Thank you Hiland and Marion Local for producing a classic.
(Note: During the postgame press conference after Hiland’s state title game victory, Coach Schlabach made the media aware that one of his players Roman Tkachuk and his family lost everything in a fire early in the week. Here is the link https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-my-family-rebuild-after-house-fire-2av9w to the Tkachuk family’s GoFundMe page if you want to help donate.)
jamessimpson@gannett.com
Twitter/X: @JamesSimpsonII
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Hiland-Marion Local is the best high school basketball game I’ve ever covered | Simpson
Reporting by James Simpson II, Wooster Daily Record / The Daily Record
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
