By ROGER METZGER
Times-Reporter Staff Writer

CANTON — Defense and depth.

COLUMBUS — Everything that went right the past four weeks for the Hiland Hawks went wrong on Saturday.

Hiland was held to just 26-percent shooting as No. 2-ranked Arlington won the Division IV state high school girls basketball championship with a 52-37 victory before 5,080 in Value City Arena on St. Patrick's Day.

The Red Devils, making their first appearance at the state tournament, ended up No. 1 on the court as they finished with a 27-1 record, and delivered Arlington its first title in any sport.

Hiland, who was playing in the state tournament for the 12th time and bidding to win a fifth championship, finished the season with a 19-9 record.

Hiland head coach Dave Schlabach said it was one of those games where the Hawks just didn't play well.

"We haven't done that for seven games," said Schlabach of the missed and questionable shots to go along with 16 turnovers. "We played extremely well, and have played up to our potential. For whatever reason, we took a step back."

Despite the loss, it ended up being quite a season for the Hawks, who weren't expected by many to challenge for a state championship.

"We're proud of our seniors (McKenzie Miller, Meagan Hall, Regan Miller and Bria Coil)," said Schlabach. "They wanted a tournament run and we're extremely proud of this group. To make a trip here after some of the battles we had earlier this year is a good story."

Hall said her coach believed in the 2011-2012 Hawks.

"After every loss, we kept thinking, "OK, he's going to give up after this one, but he kept coming in and saying 'I still believe in you guys.' "

The Red Devils bolted out to a 12-2 lead as they led from the opening tap to the final horn.

Schlabach said it was the Red Devils, who dictated the tempo.

"We thought we were the team to apply pressure," said Schlabach. "They were the team that made us feel extremely uncomfortable."

The players agreed.

"They definitely had intense pressure on us," said Hall. "It wasn't anything we hadn't seen before, but we didn't handle it with much poise like we have previously."

Arlington fourth-year head coach Seth Newlove attributed the victory to his team's defensive intensity.

"We defended the heck out of them," Newlove said. "That was the key. On the other side, handling their pressure. They're in your face and they scrap."

Sophomore Dani Heaster had 13 points to lead Arlington to its 25th consecutive victory, while seniors Joy Reamsnyder and Alivia Recker each had 11 points, and senior Amelia Recker added 10 and 10 rebounds.

"That's what we've been working for, for a long time," said Amelia Recker, the co-Division IV Player of the Year.

Miller led Hiland with nine points and sophomore Regina Hochstetler added eight as the Hawks made just 13 of 50 field goals and made only 3 of 22 shots from 3-point land.

Miller and Hochstetler made the all-Division IV tournament team.

Despite outrebounding Arlington 34-24, Hiland could not capitalize on second-chance opportunities.

Meanwhile, Arlington made 17 of 34 action shots.

After taking a 13-4 lead after the opening quarter, the Red Devils put together a 7-1 run late in the first half. It was capped by a three-point play by Heaster with 1.6 seconds left, putting the Hawks in a 26-10 deficit.

"We didn't start out like we should have," noted Miller. "All those errors in the beginning turned into errors in the end."

Arlington ran a number of backdoor plays that ended in easy baskets.

"I was hoping we could get some of them and the girls made some big plays," said Newlove. "That was part of the gameplan."

The Red Devils led by as many as 20 points (30-10) early in the third quarter, but McKenzie Miller (two free throws), Regan Miller (a three-point play) and Hall (a baseline jumper) trimmed Arlington's lead to 30-17 with 2:57 left.

However, the Red Devils responded and took a 35-19 lead going to the fourth quarter, and Hiland never got closer than 12 points from there.