Special to The Daily Record
BERLIN — Christmas preparations in Holmes County came to a screeching halt Wednesday night as Hiland hosted rival Garaway at the Reese Center in a highly anticipated game between two Inter-Valley Conference neighbors off to strong starts.
The game itself was one-sided as the host Hawks rolled to a 60-35 victory over the Pirates, going to 4-0 in the IVC and 6-1 overall with the victory.
Senior standout Kennedy Schlabach led Hiland with 14 points and four assists, but the big story was the performance of the Hawks’ four freshmen — Zoe Miller, Kelsey Swihart, Brynn Mullet and Morgan Yoder — who combined for 30 points and 24 rebounds.
“Our freshmen played well,” said Hiland head coach Dave Schlabach. “It was a quality win, but I was disappointed that we didn’t get done what we thought we should have. We had too many turnovers and too many missed shots, but we’re still a work in progress.”
Hiland jumped out to a 12-2 lead, thanks to four points each by Miller and junior Tiffany Weaver, en route to a 15-6 advantage after one quarter.
The Hawks continued to pour it on in the second quarter with pressure defense and efficient offense. Schlabach led the attack with 11 points, nine of which came from behind the arc, including a 3-pointer just before the buzzer to give Hiland a decisive 35-15 halftime advantage. Unfortunately, the Hawks lost Weaver, who suffered what was described as a severely sprained ankle in the first half.
Despite Weaver’s absence, the Hawks extended their lead to 48-23 behind five points from Yoder, who was one of seven Hiland players to score in the quarter.
The Pirates made a modest 10-6 run in the fourth quarter but it did little to dent the Hawks’ lead, as Hiland coasted to the 25-point victory.
Garaway, which fell to 5-1 and 3-1 in the conference with its first setback, was led by Zoe Johnson with 10 points and six rebounds, along with Haley Shutt and Sydney Miller, who had had six points each.
“Hiland’s pressure was a big factor,” said Garaway head coach Dave Shutt. “Rebounding was also an issue. We created some turnovers, but we couldn’t convert (the turnovers into points). We needed better ball movement and better communication.”
The Hawks, who improved to 6-1 on the season, shot 33 percent (18 of 54) from the floor, while limiting the Pirates to just 24 percent (12 of 50) from the field, but the Hawks were much more effective behind the arc, hitting 9 of 23 three-pointers (39 percent), while the Pirates managed just 1 of 18 (six percent).
Hiland had a decisive 28-18 advantage on the boards, but neither team took very good care of the basketball. Hiland had 16 turnovers; Garaway gave it up 21 times.
The Hawks return to action Saturday when they travel across the county to face an even bigger rival — West Holmes.
