Cedars, February 2018

February 2018 17 SPORTS Lady Jackets Vying to Host G-MAC Tournament by Tim Miller A s the No. 1 team in 3-point shooting in the entire NCAA Division II and - age, the Cedarville Lady Jackets are in posi- tion to storm through the month of March. The Lady Jackets nearly knocked off defending national champion and No. 1 Ash- land (zero losses in last two seasons) on Nov. 11, which now seems to be a game that fore- shadowed how successful this year’s team would be. Ashland needed a buzzer-beater to come frombehind and beat the Lady Jackets, and Cedarville is the only team to lose to Ash- land by less than 10 points this season. “I think that game set the tone for who we thought we could be, just knowing that we could play with the No. 1 team in the country,” second-year head coach Kari Hoffman said. “I think that gave us confi- dence from the get-go.” Cedarville went 9-0 in January and is catching fire at the right time. The Lady Jack- ets (19-4, 14-3 G-MAC as of Feb. 9) could look even better had it not been for a few un- characteristic performances. Cedarville took a thumping from Walsh during Christmas break, but other than that, the Lady Jackets have contested each game they’ve lost. “I think we expected to be right where we’re at,” Hoffman said. “There’s a couple times you slip up. Obviously that was the Walsh game for us, but I’m really pleased with where we’re at.” Hoffman made a lineup change in late December when senior forwardTaylor Buckley (career-high 20 points against Ashland) suf- fered a concussion. The move, Hoffman said, aimed to give starting senior forwards Emily Williams and BreanneWatterworthmore time to rest. Freshman guard Ashlyn Huffman was thrusted into the lineup, andWilliams came off the bench due to the change. “We made the move because we were getting in foul trouble consistently with Bre and Emily,” Hoffman said. “Without having a ton of depth in the post, we needed to save one of them and not have them both out there at the same time.” Huffman saw her point total rise steadi- ly, exploding for 14 and 18 points in back-to- back games against top G-MAC foes Hills- dale and Ursuline. Although Hoffman said she wasn’t sure how long Huffman would stay in the lineup upon Buckley’s return, the freshman has remained a fixture in the starting five since Buckley has come back. Senior guard Kaitlyn Holm (11.5 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game) said the addition of Huffman to the lineup al- lowed Cedarville to continue to thrive even with the loss of Buckley. “It’s been huge,” Holm said. “Any time you can get a freshman to come in and con- tribute that much it’s a big deal. She sees the court really well and produces for us.” Huffman’s playing time has remained steady since earning her new role as a start- er, but she said she cares more about win- ning than being in the starting lineup. “If it’s best for Emily to start again, which I think it would be when Buckley is back, I’m okay with that,” Huffman said. Another freshman guard blew the minds of insiders when she emerged as a threat from deep. Hoffman didn’t expect Stevie Johnting to see much action this season, but her range from behind the arc warranted more playing time. Johnting, who has marked double fig- ures five times this season, led the nation in 3-point percentage early in the year. “Stevie plays really hard,” Hoffman said. “She surprised all of us with howwell she shot the ball. We had to give her some minutes and we knew she’d give us quality production.” In a loss to Kentucky Wesleyan on Feb. 1, junior guard and leading scorer Regina Hoch- stetler (17.8 points per game) left the game with a knee injury and did not return. On Feb. 5, the team learned Hochstetler had torn her ACL and would be out for the season, which is the second time Hochstetler suffered that injury since coming to Cedarville. “I think we have enough talent on our team to make up for her 18 points per game, but it just throws everything out of sync,” Hoffman said. “From set plays to substitu- tion rotations and everything in between. We will obviously miss her ability to put the ball in the hoop and her maturity out on the floor in big ways. ” The loss of Hochstetler comes at a point when Cedarville must press on. The Lady Jackets’ schedule is unforgiving, with a three-game stretch against the top three G-MAC teams other than Cedarville in Ohio Dominican, Findlay and Ursuline coming in the same week. The Lady Jackets are in a fight to host the conference tournament come March, and Hoffman, Holm, and junior guard Baylee Bennett (No. 7 3-point shooter in the NCAA Division II) each said they hope to host it. Huffman, on the other hand, was cer- tain the Lady Jackets would play on their home floor for the entirety of the tourna- ment, saying she fully expects Cedarville to be home for the event. With five teams within 2.5 games of earn- ing the top seed for the tournament, Hoffman said that as long as the team improves to close the season, the top eight teams in the G-MAC will be playing basketball surrounded by corn- fields during the first week of March. “If we keep getting better, we truly should host the conference tournament,” Hoffman said. TimMiller is a sophomore marketing major and sports editor for Cedars. He enjoys hav- ing a baby face, sipping Dunkin Donuts cof- fee and striving to be the optimal combina- tion of Dwight Schrute and Ron Swanson. Photo by Lydia Wolterman Lady Jacket starters enjoy watching the bench help the team to 100 points on Jan. 27. Photo by Lydia Wolterman Kaitlyn Holm (24) and Baylee Bennett (4) have been two consistent players for Cedarville.