Of course, after beating the Pirates by 30 points on opening night, most members of the East Holmes community probably figured the real test would come in the form of Youngstown Ursuline and Akron Hoban at this weekend's Classic in the Country.

However, the Pirates (ranked No. 12 in Div. III), who had won 12 in a row since that season opener, showed why they are so highly regarded.  They had Hiland on the ropes in the fourth quarter before suffering the same fate as the Hawks' previous 10 opponents, a 41-34 loss.

"I thought they battled and we looked like the rookies late in the game," Schlabach said. "We didn't take care of the ball. We had some turnovers that were very uncharacteristic for the types of kids (who committed them).

"I was thankful we won, but I was thankful for the close game.  I thought we needed it."

Considering Hiland had won each of its previous 10 games by double-digit margins and by an average of 53.2 points, Garaway coach Scott Bardall could find no fault in his Pirates' efforts.

"I was so proud of the way the kids handled themselves with integrity and poise in a hard-fought game," Bardall said.  "Both teams laid it all out and I think we got better from this, getting the experience.  Our girls have everything to be positive about tonight."

Garaway was just a few missed free throws from really having the pressure on Hiland in the fourth quarter.

The Hawks took a 28-20 lead into the final period and led by 10 when Lindsay Stuckey opened the final quarter with a bucket.

Garaway went on a 6-0 run, capped off by a Laura Bardall 3-pointer, to pull to within four.  Leah Hochstetler halted Garaway's momentum by answering with a 3 on the other hand.

The Pirates pulled back to within four again on their next trip down the court as 6-foot-4 center Chandra Myers hit a layup, was fouled and completed the three-point play with a free throw.

After that made free throw, however, Garaway went cold from the line, missing its next six shots from the charity stripe.  That combined with a pair of missed layups allowed Hiland to finish  the game on an 8-4 spurt and secure its 11th win in 11 games.

"Fatigue probably had an impact on free throws late and offensive rebounds we couldn't stick back in," said Bardall, whose main rotation consists of only seven players, compared to Hiland's 11.

Despite the disparity in numbers, it was Garaway that had the stronger second half after Hiland looked to be in firm control with a 23-10 halftime lead.

"(The second half) was a situation where we didn't come out and pressure the ball and keep the ball in front of us," Schlabach said.  "We allowed them to put the ball in the post too much.  They handled our press and Chandra did whatever she wanted to."

The post play of Myers was a major difference in the second half and a key reason to why Garaway played the Hawks a lot closer the second time around.

Myers, an Ohio University recruit, scored 11 of her team-high 16 points over the final two quarters, shaking off a Hiland defense that had limited her to three points in the team's first meeting.

Stuckey trumped the performance of the Garaway star with a 19-point effort, while Hochstetler added nine points.

With Div. III's sixth-ranked Ursuline on the schedule for tomorrow and Hoban, No. 1 in Div. II on Monday, Schlabach knows last night was just the beginning of what should be a competitive stretch of basketball for his Hawks.

"We told the kids that we planned this on purpose," Schlabach said.  "We have three hard, physical games in five days and we'll find out what we're made of."