BERLIN — Hiland coach Dave Schlabach likes to face a formidable foe whenever he gets the chance, and the regular-season finale for the Hawks against visiting Div. II powerhouse Laurel Wednesday was just what the doctor ordered.

The Gators, who were ranked No. 7 in Div. II in the latest Associated Press poll, battled tooth and nail right to the wire, but the Hawks held on for a 40-37 triumph.

"When we set our schedule, I couldn't have written a better script," Schlabach said. "We found some things we can work on from that, and yet, we played a high-level team that we expect to be in Columbus [or wherever].

"[Taylor] Thierry is going to Ohio State, and Kelsey [Swihart] and Mallory [Stutzman] did a fantastic job [defensively] on her. [Morgan Yoder] played a little injured, but she played gritty, and hit those big free throws. Her defense on [Mari] Bickley was phenomenal."

Hiland's defense held the Gators (16-4) to only 2-of-22 shooting from beyond the 3-point arc. Laurel misfired on its first 16 shots from deep.

"That's the shot we wanted them to take," Schlabach said.

Swihart scored 13 for the Hawks (21-1). She hit inside, from mid-range and from deep for seven of Hiland's first 11 points to open the game. She rattled home a 3-pointer to beat the buzzer, giving the Hawks an 11-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Zoe Miller was unstoppable inside in the second quarter, scoring on three three-point play opportunities, sticking back two misses and getting fouled in the process. The senior had 13 of her game-high 17 points at the half and Swihart had the other nine as Hiland led 20-16 at intermission.

"We think Zoe is the best player in Div. III in the state," Schlabach said. "I think anybody who would've seen that game, they wouldn't think any different."

Miller also muscled down 15 rebounds in a rare contest in which the Hawks lost the battle of the boards (39-31).

"None of our guards scored in the first half," Schlabach said. "But that's OK. They gave us our best defensive effort of the year by far."

The Hawks extended their lead to 29-20 when Brynn Mullet buried a 3 to join Miller and Swihart in the scorer's book. It was 31-22 through three quarters.

Mullet swished another 3 to give Hiland its largest lead (36-25) with 5:13 to play, leading to a timeout by the Gators.

After Bickley answered with a layup, the Hawks ran more than two minutes off the clock, finishing with a perfectly executed backdoor pass from Miller to Swihart for a layup and a 38-27 advantage.

The Gators refused to fold, getting a three-point play from Taylor Thierry and a 3-pointer from her sister Haley to trim Hiland's lead to 38-33 with 1:59 remaining.

A blocked shot and a layup by Taylor Thierry had the Gators back within 38-35. A steal and layup by Kendall Braaten, and Laurel trailed 38-37 with 1:16 left in regulation.

The Hawks continued to play keep away as valuable seconds ticked off the clock.

Morgan Yoder was fouled with 12.3 seconds remaining, and the senior deftly drilled the one-and-one bonus for her only points to put Hiland ahead 40-37.

Haley Thierry's 3-point attempt to tie hit the rim and Swihart grabbed the rebound to secure the hard-fought win.

Haley led Laurel with 13 points. Her OSU-bound twin sister Taylor added nine points.

"We told our kids this would be a state-caliber game. When you come to Hiland you know what you're going to get," Laurel coach Kevin Braaten said. "We shoot a lot of 3s, and when they don't go in, it gets rough.

"I'm proud of the way we battled, though, and we got a great look at the end. They're incredible defensively. They don't make defensive mistakes. Dave does a phenomenal job with them. They are so disciplined."

Hiland didn't fare much better from beyond the arc, making 3-of-18 from distance.

"We gave up our big lead, but we didn't completely squander it," Schlabach said. "We had the right person at the line at the end, and she took care of it.

"That's what makes us such a good team. We have a lot of balance. In a game like that next time, Brynn or Kyli [Horn] might get 20. I love our unselfishness and balance."