The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
EC grad having banner year at BW
Senior point guard Riley Schill and Baldwin Wallace are having a regular season to remember in the Ohio Athletic Conference.
Riding a seven-game winning streak, the Yellow Jackets are 21-2 overall and ranked 12th among Division III women’s teams in the latest D3hoops.com poll.
BW sits atop the OAC standings at 15-1, two games clear of second-place John Carroll (19-4, 13-3 OAC) with two to play.
The Yellow Jackets have clinched no worse than a tie for the regularseason title. A victory over visiting Mount Union on Feb. 19, and BW secures the title and first seed in the OAC tournament beginning Feb. 25.
Under the steady guidance of Hall of Fame coach Cheri Harrer, the Yellow Jackets are on track for a second straight engagement in the NCAA Division III tournament.
BW got there last season with an at-large bid and beat RIT in the first round before being eliminated by Messiah (Pa.) in the second round.
Despite having all those goals tantalizingly within reach, Schill said she and teammates are determined not to get ahead of themselves and stumble.
“Sometimes, we’ll play a game on Wednesday and I literally will not know who our next game is against. That’s how focused I am on that one game,” the former Elyria Catholic standout and 2016 Lorain County girls basketball player of the year said.
“The whole team has that mentality. We know every team is out to get us. This is a tough conference. I’m not saying there is bad blood. But we play hard against each other.”
Schill, a starter for three straight seasons, is posting solid numbers in her final go-round at BW.
In 22 games, she leads the Yellow Jackets in total points (253), points per game (11.5), minutes per game (25.7), 62 assists and 40 steals. She’s shooting a team-best 50.6% from the field and 88% on her free throws.
“I definitely have confidence in myself,” Schill said. “I’m playing the game since I was 4 years old. I put a lot of work into my game. So many people have helped me get to this point.”
Harrer employs 11 players in her main rotation. The other starters are senior guards Hannah Fecht (9.8 points), Kasey Hughes (8.1 points) and Kara Marshall (8.1 points), as well as sophomore forward Megan Scheibelhut (3.0 points, 3.7 rebounds).
Sophomore forward Lily Edwards (8.8 points, 5.4 rebounds) and sophomore guard Megan Hensel (6.5 points, 3.3 rebounds) pace the reserves.
“We’re balanced, and we’re deep,” Schill said. “We’re confident we can go as hard as we want and know we have a sub coming in who is going to give it her all.”
Despite the team’s balance, it is Schill who has emerged as a go-to option in this season’s pivotal moments.
The 5-foot-6 Sheffield Village resident was at her best in the first-place showdown against crosstown rival John Carroll on Feb. 12 at Ursprung Gymnasium.
Schill netted 14 points as BW prevailed in overtime, 80-77.
With just over two minutes remaining in overtime and the score deadlocked at 70-70, Schill knifed through the heart of JCU’s defense on successive possessions for driving layups that put the Yellow Jackets in front, 74-70.
“They were matched up and playing me tight. I like that,” Schill said of those two heavily contested forays down the lane. “My teammates spread the floor, and I can attack if they help. I can take it out if they don’t help.
“I’m obviously shorter, but my teammates joke around and call me Zion because I feel like I can knock over opponents in the post,” Schill added with a smile, referring to NBA rookie center and former Duke sensation Zion Williamson.
When the Blue Streaks mounted a late push that trimmed BW’s lead to 7877, Schill drew a foul with 12 seconds remaining and calmly cashed in two free throws to assure the outcome.
“I feed off my teammates,” Schill said. “They show confidence in me, and that gives me confidence when I get the ball in big situations.”
Schill is savoring very moment of her senior season on and off the court. She has a 3.97 grade-point average and is majoring in microbiology. Her younger sister, Regan, is a freshman guard at BW.
She is full of admiration for Harrer, whose record of 604-223 in 30 seasons at BW includes 17 seasons with 20 or more wins, eight OAC regular-season titles and six OAC tournament titles.
“I talk with my family and friends all the time about the culture we have here,” Schill said. “You don’t understand until you play for a person like her. She’s been around for 30 years and really knows how to win. She and her staff put in so much work. I couldn’t have asked for a better college experience.”
BW has a 76-26 record in the three-plus seasons Schill has been on the team.