BERLIN — Hiland notched its 14th win of the season, but none was bigger than Saturday's 59-55 triumph over the Bulldogs of Centennial High, Las Vegas at Classic in the Country held at the Reese Community Center.

"I don't think people realize how good a team we just beat," Schlabach said of the Bulldogs who have won six straight Nevada state titles. "They can get going. I just love how hard we played. They played a lot of minutes at a high level. We shoot 26 percent from the field, miss 23 3s (5-for-28), but when you get 19 offensive boards and take care of the basketball, you find a different way to win."

Schlabach praised the play of his point guard, Morgan Yoder, who handled the non-stop pressure applied by Centennial and defended one of the top players in the country in 6-foot senior Taylor Bigby, who finished with 12 points.

"We've had some of the best point guards in the state over the past 25 years, and Mo (Yoder) is right there," Schlabach said. "Just throw it in and leave. That's not normal.

"We trust our players. With the game on the line, I've got two freshmen and (junior) Jenna (Troyer) in there," Schlabach added. "To develop depth, you've got to trust your players. That gave Zoe and Mo a few extra minutes to get a blow to be ready down the stretch. That's huge."

Yoder enjoys playing defense as much as she does running the offense.

"I take pride in on-ball defense," Yoder said. "I think getting stops and shutting people down is one of the most fun parts of the game. McKinley was really fast and strong and athletic, too, but these guys were more skilled all around."

Like two prize fighters, the Hawks and Bulldogs went toe-to-toe, taking each other's best shot and delivering their own.

The game was tied at 12 after the opening period of play and the Hawks eked out a 26-22 advantage at intermission. It was 43-38 Hiland after three and the Hawks secured the win by making free throws down the stretch.

Neither team shot particularly well, as the defense was ratcheted up to an extraordinarily high level, but Hiland made good on several second chance opportunities, led inside by Zoe Miller, who took game scoring honors with 21 points.

"Zoe had another double-double, again," Schlabach said, talking of Miller's 21-point,13-rebound effort, which included six offensive boards.

"I guess I just do what I have to do to get the rebounds," Miller said. "I love getting extra opportunities to score. I think it gives our team that extra push that we need."

Kylie Horn was the only other Hawk in double figures, scoring 14. The senior went 9-of-10 from the foul line in the fourth quarter to secure the win, No. 14 without a loss for the Hawks.

"We made 24 of 30 free throws. That may be a Hiland record," Schlabach said. "Kylie made nine of 10. That was huge.

"The big challenge for us is, when you win a big game like this, we become susceptible to a let down the next night out," the coach continued. "It helps to have five seniors who will make sure we're ready to go. We'll play a lot of kids and be ready."