They just do a great job of system ball and being were they should on defense most of the time, meaning 3rd grade on they are far above most teams and there coach is better. Star player they dont have a person on team your worried about at all, your worried about system period
Everyone has a "system". You might call it a "style of play" or the "fundamental values" of the program, or perhaps simply "this is what we are trying to do with what we have".
I think you are right in what I think you are trying to say, but perhaps just taking it a little too far. You are right in the sense that Hiland is not a program that puts talent at the center of their basketball philosophy. Talent, especially in a rural area where there isn't a huge pool of athletes to draw from and where it is difficult to relocate to, will ebb and flow. Many times those Hiland girls have beat the brains out of someone on the tourney trail and an opposing fan has said to me, "They are so talented", but usually they aren't really. What they are is skilled and coached. That can take you a long way in a sport where there aren't a lot of teams that are very skilled or well-coached. I would dare say that most girls coaches in Ohio hope they get a talented group every 10 years and have a magical season because teaching skills is hard.
That Hiland program is built around fundamental skill development, using depth as a weapon, and a few other things like weight training and some mental/motivational stuff that is pretty cutting edge. Coach Schlabach will say "We want to be the most skilled, deepest, and strongest team on the floor." That has won him a lot of games.
They have talent, but what kind of talent are we talking about? Girls that get recruited by major DI colleges are rare at Hiland. They produce quite a few DII players and virtually any girl who has gone through the entire program would qualify to play on the DIII level.
Africentric produces a challenge in that they often have 5-8 players who will eventually play DI college basketball. Usually, the most talented and better athletes will win a basketball game, but if the gap isn't too wide, a team that plays the right way and plays well can compete.
Coach Schlabach isn't usually too public about how he really feels about the quality of his team. I think he is usually trying to protect them or perhaps keep them from thinking too much of themselves. But on several occasions this year, he has been quoted as saying, "This is the most talented team I have ever had."
Africentric poses speed and quickness problems and often just a talent gap that makes it hard to counteract with with skills. Depth is hard to use as a weapon at state because of the number and length of timeouts. Hiland normally relies on pressure, turnovers, and wearing the other team out, but that's hard to do against superior athletes. Rebounding is harder when the other team is as strong or stronger.
Hiland is 4-5 against AC. In the 4 wins I think you have seen Hiland being able to leverage their advantages enough to overcome their disadvantages. Taking Coach Schlabach at his word, this would appear to be one of those years where he thinks they can make this great series 5-5.
If the game happens, it will be perhaps the most anticipated game at state. Great fun!