BERLIN—For the first time this season, the Hiland girls basketball team lost the battle on the boards.

More importantly, though, the Hawks still remain perfect in the standings.

The Hawks, ranked No. 1 in Div. IV, closed out the 12th annual Classic in the Country by slaying its second Div. I squad in three days. Hiland (13-0) was outrebounded 36-27, but it never trailed against Tecumseh for a 52-44 victory Monday night.

Like Reynoldsburg, Tecumseh boasted far greater size with 6-foot-1 post Lindsey Nartker. After outrebounding the Raiders 35-33, the Hawks used a different strategy this time as the Arrows (8-4) couldn't hold on to the ball.

"I'm disappointed we lost our rebounding run," Hiland coach Dave Schlabach said, "We'll have to start that again, but we turned them over 22 times."

The Hawks' frenetic ball pressure was the difference-maker as it wore out Tecumseh.

"We played 11 girls in the first half," Schlabach said. "If we don't have depth, we don't win."

Hiland extended a 21-17 advantage late in the second quarter with a 5-1 run to make it 26-18 at intermission. After the Arrows made the opening bucket of the third stanza, Hiland reeled off a 7-2 run, including a stickback from Megan Beachy and a 3-pointer from Kennedy Schlabach. From that point, the Hawks held a two-possession lead for the rest of the game.

Aside from Hiland's defense, Beachy's offense was critical as she posted a game-high 21 points and collected five boards. Part of the Hawks' success is based on balance, but Beachy has still taken over as the No. 1 option replacing Regina Hochstetler, Hiland's leading scorer the last two years and one of the best pure shooters in program history. "After losing a lot of seniors, I've built up my game a lot," Beachy said. "We needed someone to get teams in foul trouble and get to the line.

"I've got a lot of bruises," she added with a smile, "but I love it."

Meanwhile, Brittany Miller's line on the stat sheet was nothing to write home about — five points on 2 of 10 shooting and three boards. However, Miller picked off four passes and has become the team's top perimeter defender.

"As you get older," said the 5-foot-6 junior, "you get more responsibility as a leader. I want to lead the team with effort."

The Hawks were unable to contain Nartker, who had 20 points, nine rebounds and five blocks. However, Schlabach pointed out that one of the points of the Classic for the Hawks is learning to defend the type of talented players they will face in the tournament in March.

"She was the one kid this year we had a tough time against," he said. "I love that we have to figure out how to guard good people."

Getting off the bus, the Hawks hardly look like a top-ranked team — they have one player taller than 5-9. Nonetheless, the players credited chemistry for the team's sterling start this year. It's possible this squad has the same makeup and moxie of the Hawk teams in the 2000s, when Hiland won four state titles.

"I love our depth," Beachy said. "Our team gets along so well and we just have fun out there. That separates us from the last couple years."

Schlabach notoriously schedules rugged competition during the Classic, facing off against some of the most formidable Div. I squads in the state. The Hawks are 5-1 in their annual showcase over the last three years.

"We always get a great crowd," Schlabach said. "The student section was the best it's been in a long time. We approach this like it's the regional semis and finals. We prepare a lot and these are the type of teams we'll see down the road."

Based on the Hawks' performance so far, that road may just end in Columbus.