Cedars, March 2019

March 2019 16 SPORTS by Tim Miller T he Cedarville Lady Jackets’ bas- ketball program is used to winning games at a high clip. In four of the past five seasons, the program has captured at least a share of the G-MAC championship title. Cedarville has won 20 games or more in four of the past five seasons as well, prov- ing longevity and prestige. Though the Lady Jackets just missed the NCAA Division II Tournament for a second straight season, the team still feels strides were made in pushing the program to an even better position. They started the season 0-1, but the loss came at the hands of defending national champion Ashland. The Lady Jackets con- tended the entire game, only to lose a lead in the final minutes and forfeit the game away. The team had lost a huge chunk of production from a season ago, but the abil- ity to contend with a national powerhouse prompted the Lady Jackets to know they could be just as dangerous in the upcoming season. Though it was a disappointing loss to start the campaign, the game set the tone for the squad. In total, Cedarville enjoyed a 23-7 sea- son, winning 18 of 22 games in the confer- ence, and won all 14 matchups at the Callan Athletic Center. Cedarville was anchored by a strong core of guards, led by senior Abby Wolford. Wolford was the team’s top scorer with 12.7 points per game. She was also second on the team in rebounding and third in field goal percentage. After missing each of the last two seasons due to injury, Wolford said she was proud to join the group for a final season. “The season was definitely a success,” Wolford said. “All you can ask for is to give it our all and I think we did that. We showed how much we wanted to win even though the season didn’t end the way we wanted it to.” The season concluded with a deflating loss to Kentucky Wesleyan in the G-MAC Tournament semifinals. The Lady Jackets found themselves down 14-0 and never were able to get back into the game for any significant amount of time. After sharing the regular season confer- ence title with two other teams, Cedarville felt it had the talent to win the tournament. The surprising defeat in the semifinal was a punch in the gut to the squad, but head coach Kari Hoffman said the team should focus on what it accomplished throughout the entirety of the season. “This year was a huge success,” Hoff- man said. “I’m not sure many people thought we would do as well as we did with what we graduated. To be tied for first place in the regular season is a huge accomplish- ment.” Three other Lady Jackets averaged double figures in scoring over the season, two of which were seniors Baylee Bennett and Regina Hochstetler. Cedarville will clearly miss the contributions from the guards, as each hold team shooting records for the program. The senior class as a whole produced on and off the court. While both Wolford and Hoffman admitted the class was far from typical, they each recognized that even the seniors who didn’t see much playing time were a huge part to the team’s chemistry. Wolford called her class “misfits,” as both Wolford and Hochstetler took fifth years after ACL injuries, Bennett was a transfer, guard Kelly Poole was added off the JV team after her freshman season, and guard Ellie Juengel was the only player who actually was recruited as part of the 2019 class. “I love this senior class,” Hoffman said. “They have their own unique stories. There’s just not enough words to say when talking about this senior class. I’m super thankful for them and the legacy they brought to us.” Hoffman expects to lean on production from guards Ashlyn Huffman (12.5 points per game), Emily Chapman (8.2 points per game) and forward Alli Roh (7.1 points per game, 5.6 rebounds per game) to continue the program’s traditional success. “We’re looking for a lot of those kids who contributed for us this year,” Hoffman said. “There’s a lot of talent out there, so I think we’ll be a little bit deeper.” Wolford looked back on her storied ca- reer and final season at Cedarville and said the team was special. While recognizing the blowout loss to end the season was frustrat- ing, she said the season as a whole was well worth it. “I think it’s disappointing the way we lost,” Wolford said. “But that doesn’t define the rest of our season. Thinking about all the games we won and another G-MAC regular season championship, that’s not something a lot of teams do. It’s been a blast.” TimMiller is a junior marketing major and sports editor for Cedars. He enjoys hav- ing a baby face, knowing too much about supplemental insurance, and striving to perfect the optimal combination of Dwight Schrute and Ron Swanson. Season-Ending Loss Doesn’t Define Women’s Season Photo by Lydia Wolterman Lady Jacket Baylee Bennett attempts a layup while the opposing team struggles to defend.