A new conference but Lake still champion

Lake coach Denny Meyer stands with his starters, from left, Alyssa Shaffer, Hannah Cox, Hunter Johnson, Catie Phalen, and Jordyn Taylor. The Flyers won the Northern Buckeye Conference championship. They had won the final three Suburban Lakes League titles. THE BLADE/JEREMY WADSWORTH Enlarge | Photo Reprints

MILLBURY -- Hannah Cox will graduate in a few months from Lake with a special place in Flyers history.

The 5-foot-6 senior guard will leave as a four-time league champion in girls basketball.

Cox, the team captain, was a member of the 2008-09 Suburban Lakes League championship team-- the first league title for Flyers since 1979.

"It's a great accomplishment," Cox said. "When I look back on it, maybe a year from now, it will feel really good."

Denny Meyer took over as Lake coach four years ago believing he could turn the program around.

It didn't take him long to do just that. The first three championships came as members of the SLL before winning the inaugural title in the Northern Buckeye Conference.

Lake finished the regular season 15-5 overall, 11-3 in the NBC.

"It's been pretty exciting for me because that's what I was hoping for [league championships] when I came in," Meyer said.

There aren't any stars on this year's team. It's been plenty of hard work and plenty of focus that led to the Flyers to the top of the NBC.

Hannah Cox, a 5-foot-6 senior guard, leads Lake in scoring (12.0) and has been part of four league championships THE BLADE/JEREMY WADSWORTH Enlarge | Photo Reprints

Only Cox (12.0 points) averages in double figures. Jordyn Taylor, a 5-4 freshman, ranks second on the team with 8.6 points per game while Alyssa Shaffer, a 5-9 junior, ranks (7.1) while pulling down a team-best 5.0 rebounds per game.

The Flyers have found their success this season by relying on how they perform on the defensive end. They've held opponents to 35 points per game while averaging 44 points, which is down from previous years when their lineup involved more experienced players capable of putting up big offensive numbers.

Midseason defeats against non-conference opponents Whitmer and Anthony Wayne apparently served as a turning point for the Flyers.

The Flyers learned something about themselves during the defeats.

"We really had to play really good defense in those two games against Anthony Wayne and Whitmer," Meyer said. "Once we got back into league play, our defense really stepped up and we were holding teams to 20 points."

The Flyers have gone 9-1 since the losses and became a team that recognized its strong suit.

"Our defense is what got us to win league this year," Cox said. "Our team focuses on defense and we try to get steals for easy layups to score.

"As a team, we've always believed that offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships."

The Flyers have forced opponents into committing 21 turnovers per game while limiting their own turnovers to 15. Taylor led the way defensively with a team-leading 53 steals (2.7 per game). She also averaged 4.0 assists per game, a team high.

Hunter Johnson, a 5-8 senior, also credits the Flyers' effort on defense.

Alyssa Shaffer, a 5-foot-9 junior, averages 7.1 points and leads the Flyers in rebounding (5.0). Lake had a 15-5 record in the regular season, finishing 11-3 in the Northern Buckeye Conference. The Flyers have held opponents to an average of 35 points per game. THE BLADE/JEREMY WADSWORTH Enlarge | Photo Reprints

"I think our defense is what really took us to where we needed to be," said Johnson, a two-year letter winner. "We had the target on our backs and we played with the pressure and we did it."

The Flyers claimed their latest outright league title the way they did their three previous championships, by winning their final league game of the season with a 53-34 rout of Eastwood on Feb. 16.

The Flyers are now focusing on facing the Gibsonburg-Lakota winner in a second-round tournament matchup on Saturday.

Meyer said he's looking to have more balance on both ends of the court as they head into postseason competition.

"We've been very inconsistent with our scoring," he said. "The further you go you'll have to play against tougher teams, so you'll need to be consistent with your scoring."

However, the Flyers also believe really good defense can win titles.

Contact Donald Emmons at: demmons@theblade.com, 419-724-6302 or on Twitter @DemmonsBlade.