It wasn't Hiland guard Hilary Weaver hitting the Hawks' first shot five minutes in. It wasn't the Hawks' 24-0 run, which will become legendary in years to come. And it wasn't when Africentric closed its full-court pressure in on Jena Stutzman only to have the senior throw it over the defense to a wide-open Katelyn Stuckey for a layup in the game's final minutes.

It was the team managers. It was those little elementary-aged girls who do the little things for the team.

I didn't pay attention to them much until the Hawks wrapped up a stunning 44-37 win over the Nubians and team medals were being handed out.

But the Hawks had about half-a-dozen of them. The Nubians, like many teams in the state, didn't have a one.

And that's what makes the Hawks special.

Why?

Because of what some of these girls turn into.

What do they turn into?

Well, if you look at some of the past team photos, you'll see miniature versions of Stutzman, Stuckey and Weaver sitting with their legs crossed in front of former Hiland teams.

When you're a Hawk, you're in it for the long run.

That's been lost over the past couple decades in high school basketball. Many of the state's top teams are so loaded with talent you just know what they've put together was artificial. No single town or school district should be able to turn out three Div. I college prospects each year.

The Nubians get a bit of a break. They've had just five years to build a program and many of the girls, while overly talented for Div. IV, have been at the school since Day 1.

But they're like a number of teams around the state.

Half of the top 10 players in Columbus wear the black and purple. And plenty of Monday's finals teams were in the same boat. They're too talented to be a simple high school team.

Unfortunately, most of the time it's the manufactured teams winning titles.

The Hawks have remained the exception. Occasionally, a group will come along at an ordinary school (see: River View, 2006-07) that does extraordinary things.

Hiland takes the extra step. The Hawks have gotten to a point where they win year in, year out.

They've won at the same annoying -- to the rest of the state -- rate that Div. I powerhouse Cincinnati Mt. Notre Dame and Div. III heavyweight South Euclid Regina have.

Hiland doesn't do it with can't-miss prospects headed to Big East schools.

They've done it with team managers. They've done it with the little sisters of former champions.

Basically, these girls learn the system starting in the third grade and by the time they get to high school they're on the same page. Heck, they're on the same paragraph.

That's why the Hawks can occasionally provide their fans with "miracle" wins against whichever team in Div. IV happens to be hot that season. That's why they're natural favorites for fans around the state. They do what the "Hoosiers" did. They're the classic home-grown, small-school team.

And it doesn't look like it's going to stop. Hiland will likely suffer through a down year in 2008-09 (read: Inter-Valley Conference champions, possible state appearance) before getting on to bigger, better things the next season as this year's big sophomore class becomes seniors and a talented eighth-grade class matures.

That's what's nice about the Hawks, you know what's coming. You can say, "This team is going to have a shot at a state title if something amazing happens."

That something amazing has been the case four times since 2000 now.

Basically, what's being said is that Hiland is a basketball factory.

What coach Dave Schlabach and his staff have done is let girls know that if they bust their humps for a decade, there's a good shot a state title will come at the end of the journey.

Each year when Hiland gets home from another title in Columbus they celebrate at the high school. The fans come out, the players ride in on a fire truck and the players speak in the gymnasium. All the winning has made it a tradition in Berlin.

"I got off the fire trucks with the managers," Schlabach said. "I told them this is even funner when you're a player."

If that's not incentive, I don't know what is.