Sagester, Tri-Village prove impossible to stop for Hiland in state semis

DAYTON — On paper, the game plan for Hiland was relatively simple.

Slow down Tri-Village star Rylee Sagester and force her teammates to make plays to win the game.

But Hiland found out what every other Tri-Village opponent has discovered this year — that game plan is almost impossible to execute.

Sagester scored a game-high 22 points and her teammates came up big as Tri-Village triumphed 51-34 in the Div. IV state semifinals at UD Arena in Dayton. Tri-Village faces Toledo Christian in the Div. IV state championship game Saturday at 2 p.m.

"I've got a ton of respect for the Schlabach family and what they've been able to build over there," Tri-Village coach Brad Gray said. "(Hiland is) an outstanding program. I think our kids rose to the occasion. This is a group of kids who likes to take challenges. Our last couple games have been a grind, and you rewarded by playing one of the top teams in the history of the state. I thought their response today was really good."

Hiland limited Sagester's opportunities with the ball as much as they could, holding her to 13 field goal attempts and no free throws. But she made the most of those opportunities, hitting nine of those shots, including going 4-of-7 from 3.

The Hawks used a variety of defenders to chase Sagester all over the court, but the Ms. Basketball runner-up found ways to get good looks from 3 and get to the rim. She started 4-for-5 from 3, nearing 400 3-pointers for her career and adding to her own state record.

"We really felt their other players were good players, but we didn't want to lose to Rylee, so that's definitely where our focus was," Hiland coach Brady Schlabach said. "We were going to go down aboard that ship."

Virtually all of Tri-Village's opponents have tried a similar strategy to slow down the Patriots. And all have ultimately failed this year, as Tri-Village improved to 29-0.

"We've seen a lot of box-and-one, we've seen a lot of man with face-guarding, we've even seen triangle-and-two with both on her," Gray said. "We've seen some interesting things this year. Our kids do a great job. Rylee is extremely unselfish. As a player over the last four years, she's really grown in how she's handled that (defensive attention). She would tell you, it used to frustrate her quite a bit. Now, she's become very trusting of her teammates. And she should be."

With so much focus on Sagester, the rest of Patriots stepped up with Tori Richards (8 points), Bella Black (7) and Morgan Hunt (7) especially making an impact. Hunt, who was a second-team All-Ohioan last season, showcased her all-around game, dishing out seven assists to go along with five rebounds, two blocks and two steals while committing just one turnover.

Hiland's trio of Ashley Mullet, Joplin Yoder and Mallory Stutzman had their moments, but the Hawks got just two points from the rest of the team. Any time Hiland threatened to cut significantly into the lead in the second half — Tri-Village led 33-22 at the break — the Patriots answered.

The Hawks' best chance at challenging in the second half came midway through the third quarter after Stutzman knocked down a 3-pointer and Yoder scored inside, cutting Tri-Village's lead to 39-31. It turned out to be the last time they'd be within double digits as the Patriots answered with a 6-1 run to end the quarter behind baskets from Black, Richards and Sydnee Delong.

Yoder finished with a team-high 15 points, Mullet had 11 points and five assists and Stutzman scored six.

"We're going to continue to work really hard," Mullet said. "Obviously, we didn't want to lose this game. We wanted to win this one. We wanted to win a state championship. ... That's always the goal."

At one point this year, Hiland was 8-6. It finished the year as one of the final four teams remaining in all of Div. IV, winning 14 straight before running into Tri-Village.

"It's unbelievable," Schlabach said. "To be along for their journey and this ride has been cool. The behind the scenes of how much they put in since day one this summer when we told them that we believed they could end the season in Dayton ... I'm not sure that they quite believed it at that time, but as our leaders and our best players continue to work, it fuels everyone else. To be along for that is pretty sweet."

The good news for Hiland? Yoder, Mullet and Stutzman are juniors or sophomores.

And they plan on playing in Dayton again.

"At Hiland especially, we set big goals for a reason," Schlabach said. "When we don't achieve those goals, then it hurts more. But we would rather it be that way."

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Girls Basketball: Undefeated Tri-Village beats Hiland in state semis