For the better part of the opening two quarters, Garaway was right there in the thick of the hunt with Hiland, but the Lady Hawks’ depth and some terrific play from their guards in particular led to a monster second half for Hiland that led to a 79-29 victory.

It was an odd game, one that seemed far closer than the final score would indicate, at least for the first 16 minutes.

The Lady Pirates held several leads over the game’s first two quarters, leading 6-2 early on a Kallie Regula 3-pointer and then again at 9-7 when Lizzie Mullet canned a trey.

After the teams traded scores, Hiland took a 16-11 lead through one period, getting a Kyli Horn jumper, a Brynn Mullet 3-pointer and a Jenna Troyer jumper to beat the buzzer.

Hiland led 20-13 before Mullet connected on another triple and Regula did the same, trimming the Lady Hawks’ lead to one at 20-19.

Garaway had done a remarkable job of taking care of the ball and being patient, but the walls were about to come tumbling down on them.

Hiland would go on to outscore Garaway 59-10 from that point on, and it would be great guard play, depth and defense that would lead the way.

After seeing Garaway get within one, Horn sandwiched two 3-pointers around a Mullet trey, pushing the lead to 29-19. Maykayla Sitzlar gave Garaway some life with a three-point play, but Aila Miller’s three free throws sent Hiland to the locker room ahead 32-22.

If the end of the first half was strong for Hiland, the second half was going to get downright nasty.

Krista Troyer and Mullet each connected on a three-ball out of the gate in the second half, and Zoe Miller split two free throws. Brooke Werker’s three and a Brooklyn Frey free throw made it 39-26. Then Hiland went nuts.

Kendra Shetler scored inside on an assist from Morgan Yoder, and Horn sandwiched two more triples around a score inside by Mullet for a 49-26 lead. Zoe Miller scored on two free throws, and Troyer hit a free throw to give Hiland a 52-26 lead at the end of three quarters.

What made the run so impressive, aside from Hiland’s skillful shooting from beyond the arc, was its defense from its guards. The Lady Hawks forced the Lady P’s into 11 third-quarter turnovers, Mullet seemingly getting her hands into every single passing lane to make a steal or knock a ball away.

When Shetler scored twice inside and Morgan Yoder nailed two 3-pointers to begin the final period and give the Lady Hawks a 62-26 edge, all that was left was to determine a final score.

The Lady Pirates struggled all game from inside the arc, where they made just 2-of-16. They did find success from deep, where they hit 6-of-17 long-balls.

Mullet led Garaway with nine points, all on three triples, while Regula scored six on two treys and Frey added six, all on free throws. Frey added six rebounds.

Hiland was led by a balanced attack that saw seven players with six or more points. Horn had her best game of the season, knocking down 16 points with four 3-pointers, while Mullet added 13 points, five assists and six steals. Aila Miller had a terrific game, scoring 11 points while adding nine rebounds. Shetler scored 10 points with four rebounds, Yoder scored six points and doled out seven assists, Troyer added six points and three steals, and Zoe Miller tacked on seven points and four boards. Jenna Troyer had three points and three steals off the bench.

The Lady Hawks drove home an impressive 12-of-27 three-point shots and held a commanding 36-19 rebounding advantage.