Hawks fall in Championship game 62-55

The amazing 2023-24 season for the Hocking College women's basketball team came to an end on Saturday in the Great Lakes District Tournament championship game as the HAwks fell to top-seeded Mid Michigan College 62-55 in FLint, MI.

Hockoing led the entire first half, leading by as many as 11 in the second quarter, before settling for a 26-21 halftime lead.  However, Mid Michigan proved why they are the 18th-ranked team in the NJCAA Division II ranks as they ouutscored the HAwks 41-29 in the second half, including a 25-point outburst in the third quarter. Mid Michigan improved to 29-1 as it heads to the NJCAA National Tournament in Joplin, MO March 18-23.

Freshman guard Emily Blevins played an incredible game in defeat for the Hawks, posting a double double with 14 points and 14 rebounds, while also handing out six assists and collecting three steals and playing all 40 minutes. Freshman forward Trinity Bellard also had a double double for the HAwks with 10 points and 10 boards, while freshman guard Brie Gingras was the third Hawk in double digits with 10 points, and added five rebounds and five steals. Blevins and Gingras were also named to the District All-Tournament Team.

After scoring a season high 85 points in Thursday's semifinal win, the Hawks offecse struggled against Mid Michigan, shooting just 31 percent from the field, and only 17 percent from 3-point range as Hocking was 4-23 from beyond the arc. Freshman guard Cayleigh Dupler and sophomore guard Tayen Brown each chipped in seven points.

Hocking finished 13-6 under first year head coach Seth Marting, who inherited a squad not knowing how many student-athltes he would have. Despite not starting the job until last August, he was able to bring in five freshman, and then four young ladies returned from last year's team as Coach Martin start to piece together a program.

As the season started, the Hawks had six players, including a freshman just coming off a torn ACL in 2023. The Hawks had to postpone some games early in the season, and then in December, a season-ending injury took the roster down to five, before three girls from last year got their eligibility back in mid-December, and the Hawks were ready to go with eight for the rest of the year.

Hocking started to gel in January before a season-ending injury to 6'4" sophomore center Na'Shala McDonald in mid-February, along with a couple other injuries, put the regular season in question, but the Hawks dug deep and won five of their last six conference games to earn a OCCAC postseason bid, leading to this week's District Tournament run.

The Hawks will welcome back Bellard, Blevins, Dupler, and Gingras next season, and with a strong recruiting class coming in, the future is incredible bright for Hocking women's basketball. Congratulations ladies on a great season - thank you for the memories.