Daily Record Staff Writer
MASSILLON — Any thoughts of suffering through a long-range shooting drought like Hiland encountered in its last visit to Perry High School were put to rest early, as Kennedy Schlabach connected twice from long range in the first period and the Hawks continued to shoot well from beyond the arc in pasting the Div. I Panthers 61-51.
Angela Troyer and Sara Keim each added 3-point bombs as Hiland (15-1) built a double-digit lead in the first half before taking a 44-38 lead into the break.
"Kennedy is confident, whether she makes her first shot or not," Hiland coach Dave Schlabach said. "It helps to knock down some early shots.
That confidence rubbed off on her teammates as the Hawks jumped out to a 14-6 lead early in the first quarter before the hosts rallied back to 14-12 behind the inside combination of Karlee Piereu and Troy St. Jean. Ashland University-bound Piereu led the Panthers (7-10) with 20 points.
Schlabach, who finished with five triples and 19 points, paced the balanced Hiland attack. Angela Troyer chipped in 16 points and Tiffany Weaver added a dozen.
"I loved our balance tonight. It's nice to be able to win a game against a really good team when our leading scorer only has four points," Schlabach said. "That's what I love. The fact that we were balanced enough that Morgan McMillen can score four points in a game and we can beat a good team. She did so many other things like taking charges and grabbing rebounds."
Hiland had a 12-point lead (33-21) late in the first half on a Sara Keim triple, but St. Jean and Pieru connected on deep shots to pull the Panthers within six, 33-27 at the half.
"It got down to six quickly," Schlabach said. "I told the kids we need to keep scoring. We weren't going to play not to lose."
Hiland's inside-out combo of Weaver and Schlabach helped the Hawks open up an eight point edge midway through the third quarter, but the Panthers pulled back to within six 44-38 on 3-pointer and a stick back of a missed triple try, after three.
A pair of Piereu baskets to open the fourth quarter had Perry was trailing by two (44-42), but Schlabach drilled a triple to extend the lead.
The Panthers pawed their way back to 47-45 on a St. Jean bomb, but Keim connected from deep to answer for the Hawks, and McMillen hit a pair of free throws to push the lead back to seven midway through the final frame.
A Troyer stick back followed by a pair of Jessica Troyer freebies and Hiland led 56-45 with three minutes remaining.
Piereu hit a bucket inside and nailed a pair of free throws, but Angela Troyer's three-point play inside the two minute mark closed the deal for Hiland.
"They're a good team. (Piereu's) the best post player we'll see. She'll be at Ashland next year," Schlabach said. "It was a physical battle inside. We just love being in these types of games. They are too few and far between.
"That's why we schedule this game. It's good to be on this floor, get our kids some confidence, get comfortable here."
Perry coach Jeff Couto had a lot of praise for the visiting Hawks.
"Hiland is textbook in the way they execute," Couto said. "You know they're going to get their runs. They're so skilled so disciplined at both ends of the court. We could turn it on and get back into it, but to maintain that against a good team like Hiland, we're not quite there yet.
"We're in the Federal League. We have to compete every night," Couto added. "Tonight was another example. We just couldn't close the deal."
