After three state championships in four years, the leading scorer in the history of Hiland basketball was still soaking in the moments surrounding the Hawks' 44-37 win over Africentric for the fourth state title of the decade. A key figure in all three, Stutzman was searching for the right words to explain the feeling. Eventually, she gave in to reality.

"There aren't really words to describe it," Stutzman said. "It just feels so good to accomplish a goal you've worked for all this time. All the things you do over the summer to work for this -- it's just such a good feeling to work so hard for your goal and get it done."

Stutzman will go down as the marquee player of Hiland's dynastic four-year run for good reason, but is never quite comfortable being singled out. It shows in her play.

In Monday's state title game, the Final Four MVP led the Hawks in scoring with 14 points and passed Junior Raber on the school's all-time scoring list with a 3-pointer to tie the game at 15 with 1:27 left in the first half. Playing against an Africentric team loaded with Div. I college prospects, Hiland's lone Div. I signee showed how complete her development as a player has been.

At halftime with Hiland leading 18-15, she asked for the defensive assignment on Africentric's best player, Div. IV state player of the year Tyeasha Moss. Stutzman made life hard for Moss, who led all scorers with 15 points, but took 23 shots to get there.

"Jena is one of those kids who loves the game so much, she works at it all the time," Hiland coach Dave Schlabach said. "You enjoy something as much as she does basketball, you have a chance to be really good. This year, she took less shots because it was what we asked her to do. We knew there were going to be games in the tournament when we needed other players to have the confidence to step up. It was important that she helped her teammates be involved and it's exactly what she did."

Stutzman finished her four years at Hiland with 1,643 points despite missing most of the first half of her freshman year with a broken finger.

Monday, in her final game, she didn't score until the second quarter. Two possessions after her pass to classmate Kristi Yoder stopped Africentric's 9-0 run, Stutzman had a personal 8-0 spurt of her own that included a pair of 3-pointers to tie the game at 15. Her second long ball of the game tied things after Hiland had fallen behind 15-5 at the start of the second quarter. Once Katelyn Stuckey's three-point play gave Hiland the lead for good, Stutzman and her teammates padded the lead with defense and a well-rounded offense.

With the Nubians sending every available defender Stutzman's way at points in the game, her teammates made them pay. That was just the way she'd enjoy it the most. A major player on a major stage, Stutzman's biggest joy has always been seeing her teammates succeed around her.

That's why, of all the state titles, this one was the most satisfying.

"As a senior, knowing you led the team to it, this one feels the best," she said. "All three have been awesome. I wouldn't trade anything in the world for the time we spent in the gym and the hard work we put in. I love my team."