Lucky seven: Jenica Schrock’s red-hot night spurs Lady Hawks
Hiland sophomore Jenica Schrock had the latter on Wednesday, Jan. 25, sizzling from the three-point arc, putting up numbers that put her effort into the stratosphere of greatest games ever category for the Lady Hawks.
Schrock shot and made all seven of her three-point attempts at Ridgewood, scored 23 points and propelled Hiland to a stirring 65-51 victory in a huge Inter-Valley Conference game that held Sectional draw implications.
Just by looking at the numbers, there was every indication that Schrock was ready for a huge bust-out game like this.
OK, maybe not, since she was averaging two points coming into the contest, but Hiland coach Dave Schlabach said that this kind of an outburst is not something that the sophomore can’t duplicate.
“People forget that she was our starting point guard for six or seven games last year as a freshman before she went down with her injury,” said Schlabach. “It’s taken her a while to get her confidence back, but it has been coming.”
If the confidence was coming little by little, then this game should make Schrock feel like she can beat LeBron James one-on-one.
Schlabach also said that Emily Yoder, another sophomore, did a great job of finding the hot hand in Schrock. Not only that, Schrock’s uncanny marksmanship from downtown apparently rubbed off on her other youthful teammates. Freshman Benay Miller canned two treys in the second half, and her classmate, Megan Beachy, hurt most of the season, came in and made an immediate impact by tossing in a triple.
“She was in the game one second, touched the ball and stroked a three,” said Schlabach. “Jenica’s shooting was contagious, and she was looking to shoot the ball. She wasn’t passing up good looks and shot with confidence. I thought a number of the younger kids played tonight like they weren’t afraid to make mistakes.”
Hiland (10-5, 10-1 in the IVC) got off to a sluggish start, up at the half 30-25 but playing with no spark, and unable to stop Kayla Tedrick, who finished the game with 24 points. So Schlabach did something he has been toying with for several games, inserting the youngsters the second half to see if they were up to the challenge.
Schrock certainly was, and Schlabach said the team got a boost from their spirited play.
“It was kind of the same old thing we have seen this season, so I went with the young kids,” said Schlabach, who started junior Natalie Nickol, sophomores Schrock, Regina Hochstetler and Yoder and the freshman Miller to begin the half. Within a short time, Hiland had claimed an 11-0 run to begin the quarter and a 16-point lead.
“I think I felt better after this game than I have for a long time,” said Schlabach. “I had kids given opportunities and they ran with it and took advantage. That is the kind of thing we need right now, kids who are willing to step up and take charge.”
The win kept the Lady Hawks atop the league, but with a red-hot Garaway looming Saturday, the challenges don’t stop.
Every win is also crucial for Hiland because of the meat-grinder Sectional tournament, which is by far much tougher than it ever has been. Joining Hiland this year will be Strasburg, which has already beaten the Lady Hawks, Garaway, which dropped down a division this year, Zanesville Rosecrans, a team Schlabach said has the most talent of any starting five Hiland will face in the tournament, and the upstart Conotton Valley Rockets, who have just three losses this season and have played inspirational basketball.
“There are no givens this year,” said Schlabach of the tournament. “We’ve got five teams which all think they are worthy of the top seed, and it is going to be a grueling Sectional, because I know all five of these teams think they have what it takes to get out of Districts.”
Published: January 27, 2012
