Daily Record Sports Writer
BERLIN — Hiland coach Dave Schlabach loves to challenge his team by scheduling top-notch opponents at the Classic in the Country.
In the finale of the 20-game Classic Monday at the Perry Reese Jr. Community Center, the Hawks faced Div. I power GlenOak and went talon-to-talon with the Golden Eagles — for a quarter.
That's when the athleticism of GlenOak took over and Hiland spent the rest of the evening clawing its way back, coming up short in a 53-47 loss.
The one-two punch of University of Toledo-bound Dai'Shona Polk and Payton Brown of GlenOak was too much for Hiland to handle, combining for 41 of the Golden Eagles' 53 points. Polk led the way with 25 points and six rebounds. Brown fouled out late with 16 points and seven boards.
"When you have the best player on the floor, you put yourself in position to win," Schlabach said. "That's where they are right now. They opened up a 15-point lead and they shortened the game with that spread. We had to be patient and grind it out."
Hiland trailed by three, 14-11 after the opening eight minutes, but the Golden Eagles opened the second quarter on a 7-0 run, capped by a Da'Vina Shelton 3-pointer. That stretched their lead to 21-11.
Polk scored the final six points of the first half, and the Eagles soared to a 27-15 lead at intermission.
Hiland outscored the Eagles in the third quarter 17-9 to cut into the lead and close within 36-32 after three periods of play. And that was without emotional leader Brittany Miller, who was unable to play in the second half.
"We could've completely melted down in the second half, especially without Britt (Miller), the only kid on our team who could legitimately guard Polk," Schlabach said. "But we didn't quit. I'm proud of our group."
Angela Troyer drilled a pair of 3-pointers and Kennedy Schlabach added another as the Hawks battled back. Troyer paced the Hiland offense with 15 points to go with six rebounds. Schlabach added 12 on four 3-pointers.
"They looked more tired than us," coach Schlabach said. "We needed to score in transition. I thought we were a play or two away. But then Polk just took over."
Every time the Hawks would draw near, the 5-9 powerhouse would respond with a big basket.
Schlabach stroked a 3-pointer with two minutes remaining in the game to cut the lead to 47-42, but Polk responded with a three-point play at the other end.
"We didn't let the crowd and the atmosphere get to us. We just kept playing as a team," Polk said. "We just had to keep playing our normal defense and keep pushing, no matter what. "
GlenOak coach Paul Wackerly enjoyed his return trip to Berlin. The former North Canton Hoover coach who helped create the Classic in the Country with Dave Schlabach and Tom Jenkins 14 years ago, says he loves the atmosphere of playing in the Reese Center.
"We want this tournament atmosphere. We have to have these kinds of games," Wackerly said. "We need to face teams like this, answer back their runs. It's important to see how the kids respond. They did good today."
GlenOak improved to 12-6 with the win, while Hiland dipped to 13-3.
