The Pirates (19-3, 14-2) came into the contest looking for a win over the Hawks that would have garnered them a share of the crown, but Hiland (19-3, 16-0) made a statement right from the start as it jumped out to a 14-5 lead at the end of the first period with five players reaching the scoring column. Make it 21 straight.

The Hiland Hawks staked their claim to the Inter-Valley Conference title for the 21st straight season as a quick start propelled them to a hard-fought 56-44 win over the Garaway Pirates on Saturday night.

“It’s a testament to these kids that have worked so hard this year and in the years past with this program,” said veteran Hiland head coach Dave Schlabach of his team’s domination of conference play.

“We said 25 years ago that we wanted to build a program that lasts and believes in the system that we’ve put in place and we’ve been fortunate enough to create that.”

The Pirates (19-3, 14-2) came into the contest looking for a win over the Hawks that would have garnered them a share of the crown, but Hiland (19-3, 16-0) made a statement right from the start as it jumped out to a 14-5 lead at the end of the first period with five players reaching the scoring column.

The Hiland defense forced Garaway into seven first quarter miscues, which led to easy points for the Hawks.

“Any time you put yourself in a hole to a team like Hiland, it’s going to be an uphill battle,” said Pirate mentor Jim Monigold.

Garaway responded with a strong second quarter and went on a 9-0 run to tie the score at 14 but the Hawks answered with a 7-0 run to lead 21-14.

The half ended with Hiland on top 24-18 as Angela Troyer led the scoring with eight points.

Izzy Meese caught fire in the third quarter for Garaway as she scored seven of her team-high 14 points, but Troyer offset Meese’s points with eight of her own in the frame and the Hawks took a 40-32 advantage to the fourth quarter.

Garaway was able to cut the Hiland lead to three points on two separate occasions but simply couldn’t get over the hump down the stretch.

Hiland had just two field goals in the final quarter, but were nearly perfect from the line, going 12-of-13.

“I’m proud of the girls’ effort tonight and the way we kept battling,” said Monigold. “But Hiland had an answer for every run we made and that’s why they’re so good.”

It was a balanced attack for the Hawks, who were without two starters.

“I was actually surprised at the start we had because five minutes before the game we found out our best player, Brittany Miller, couldn’t go,” said Schlabach. “But we had good play from our bench and Tiffany Weaver played well tonight. We like our depth and we always tell the kids, if you’re wearing a uniform, you need to be ready to play.”

Troyer finished the game with 18 points for the Hawks, while Kennedy Schlabach added 15 and Morgan McMillen 10.

Kendra Miller had a big night for the Pirates as she scored 11 points and played a solid defensive game, along with Katya Misko.

“Kendra has really played well as we’ve come down the stretch of this season," said Monigold. “She’s a heck of a ballplayer and she can control the boards. It will be critical for her and all of the girls to continue to put forth the effort. We put this one behind us now and look forward to the tournament run.”