Hiland Lady Hawks coach Dave Schlabach rarely flashes a smile on the sideline.

And wearing a suit, that's a new thing, too.

But Schlabach did both last Wednesday as co-coach at the 2010 girls' McDonald's All-American High School Basketball Game at Ohio State's Value City Arena.

Schlabach's East team cut a 22-point deficit in the second half to six with a minute left, but Tennessee recruit Meighan Simmons and Stanford signee Chiney Ogwumike each hit clutch foul shots as the West pulled-out a 84-75 win in the game's ninth installment.

Simmons scored a game-high 21 points and was named player of the game for the West. Ogwumike - the 2010 Morgan Wooten Player of the Year recipient out of Cy-Fair High in Cypress, Texas - scored 14.

Toledo Waite's Natasha Howard led the East with 20 points and nine rebounds, earning her team's MVP award.

The loss marks Schlabach's second straight, following a 45-41 setback to Canal Winchester Harvest Prep in the Division IV state championship 11-days earlier.

This time, however, the loss didn't sting. This time, the 19-year Hiland coach didn't stress about what went wrong or what his Lady Hawks needed to do better. This time, Schlabach just ate, enjoying a personal pan pizza and watching the ensuing boys game.

"I'm eating after a loss," said Schlabach, who shared All-American coaching honors with Cincinnati Indian Hills' Scott Rogers.

"The first thing he told me was," said Hiland assistant coach Rob Moser, who once again backed-up Schlabach on the bench, "‘I don't feel nearly as bad as I did 11-days ago."

Since the first boys game in 1978, the All-American Games have been a vehicle to raise funds for local chapters of Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Schlabach said the charitable aspect of the All-American Game was perhaps the most rewarding.

"It was a great cause," said Schlabach, who has won 85 percent of his games at Hiland along with four state tiles. "It's really great for the kids, giving them an opportunity to give back. It's a first-class organization."

Moser agreed.

"The best thing about it," he said, "was the experience off the court, learning more about the Ronald McDonald House and going to hospitals and visiting kids with serious illnesses."

As a coach, the game is essentially the same on each level. Although, new challenges did present themselves.

"The toughest thing was," Moser said, "you have 12 of the best players in the nation, and they don't lack a whole lot of confidence in their game, but the challenge is getting them to play together."

Playing time was another obstacle, Schlabach said.

"They got frustrated because they are used to playing more," he said.

Moser said he didn't realize how big the McDonald's All-American Game was until he got to Columbus the Sunday before. "I don't think I really grasped the magnitude of this event until I got here," the Hiland assistant said. "... Everywhere we went there were reporters and 20-25 video cameras rolling. It was amazing."

Thanks to the Classic in the Country - Schlabach and Moser's annual blockbuster basketball extravaganza - the pair came in knowing some familiar faces. While at Mount Notre Dame, Rogers was a regular at CitC, Chaminade Julienne's Samarie Walker attended the event her entire prep career and University's Laurin Mincy made the trip from Newark, N.J. the past two years. Howard's Waite team competed at CitC during her freshman season.

"The Classic weaves a lot of people together," Schlabach said.

Walker, a Connecticut recruit, said it was comforting to see Schlabach and Rogers on the bench for her final high school game.

"I knew the coaches and that made me real comfortable," Walker said. "... I always admired [Schlabach] and how hard they worked. He pushed us in practice to work as hard as they do."

Simmons had 10 points, helping the West take a 37-24 lead at halftime. Michigan State signee Madison Williams hit a jumper to push the West ahead 22 (58-36) with 14:16 left in the second half.

UConn recruit Bria Hartley and Penn State-bound Maggie Lucas hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cap a huge run that pulled the East to 78-72 with 1:05 to go.

Both teams combined for 59 turnovers.