BERLIN, OH -- A suffocating full-court defense, easy transition baskets and those long 3-pointers have been a staple for the Hiland girls' basketball team over the last couple of decades.

Throw in a strong post presence this season for the Hawks, who -- surprise, surprise -- look like the queens of the Inter-Valley Conference and will be gearing for a long ride in the tournament yet again.

Hiland used a strong inside-outside attack from seniors Katelyn Stuckey and Noelle Yoder during a second-half surge and ran away from Garaway 61-40 Wednesday night at the Perry Reese Jr. Community Center. The Hawks stay unbeaten at 6-0 overall and in IVC play and handed Garaway (6-1, 5-1) its first loss of the young season.

"For the first time since I've been here ... they really look inside and really utilize Stuckey," said Garaway coach Scott Bardall. "And she did a nice job inside."

Stuckey, the Hawks' 5-foot-10 post, scored 10 of her 16 points in the second half and she combined with Yoder for 15 of Hiland's points in the third quarter to break the game open. Yoder fired in a game-high 25 points with a variety of driving baskets and three 3-pointers while directing the Hawks' offense.

"Noelle did a nice job of going one-on-one when it was there and it is so nice to have a player like her who can create," said Hiland coach Dave Schlabach. "(Stuckey) is so sound fundamentally. She just makes layups and hits free throws. I thought the kids did a nice job of finding her."

The Pirates hung tough for most of the first half by patiently breaking Hiland's full-court pressure and taking advantage of open shots. Garaway's Kristen Troyer fired in 13 of her team-high 16 points in the first half before a late Hiland run put the Hawks up 32-22 at halftime.

"We bellied (Troyer) up too much in the first half -- she's too good for that," Schlabach said. "We figured out we couldn't guard her that tight and did a better job in the second half."

The Hawks held Troyer to three free throws over the final two quarters and bolted to a 49-31 lead after the third quarter thanks to Stuckey and Yoder. Hiland's depth -- 11 players received floor time in the usual frantic substitution style Schlabach uses -- also was a big factor for the Hawks.

"They have enough players that they can wear you down -- they're physically stronger, too," Bardall said. "There's not a team that gets to the Division III state tournament this year that is as good as them (Hiland is a Division IV school)."

Only five players scored for the Hawks as McKenzie Miller and Jessica Stutzman had eight points apiece and Hilary Weaver added four points in the fourth quarter after battling early foul trouble.

Hiland made 18 of 40 shots for the game, including five of 14 in 3-point attempts. The Hawks were solid at the foul line, too, hitting on 20 of 23 attempts.

Garaway sank 15 of 39 shots and nine of 15 free throws, and held a 22-21 rebounding advantage as athletic freshman Anya Misko ripped down a game-high eight boards. Misko was the team's second-leading scorer with eight points, followed by Sarah Bardall with seven.

The Pirates committed 14 turnovers to only four for Hiland.

While the Pirates have to turn around quickly and head Saturday night to Northwestern -- a team that was 19-1 last season and is expected to be very good again -- Hiland will have a Christmas Eve challenge today in practice.

The Hawks have eight alumni playing in college and one overseas professional who are home for the holidays and will hit the court for a little action with this year's Hawks.

"I told them to get ready, because in 10 hours it will be on and it should be interesting," Schlabach said.