The Hollis Brookline girls lacrosse team celebrates its 11-9 Division II semifinal win over Hanover Saturday at Stellos Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – They’re back in the finals, and have likely waited an entire year for that opportunity.

To get there, the No. 3 Hollis Brookline High School girls lacrosse team had to get past No. 2 Hanover, and they used a great two-player combo to do so in an 11-9 Division II semifinal win over Hanover Saturday at Stellos Stadium.

That combination was Alyssa Hill and Paige Mello, as they teamed up for at least four goals, especially anytime Hanover (12-4) got close. Hill fed Mello four times and Mello, who had seven goals, returned the favor once while Bella Haytayan added two goals. As a result, the Cavaliers (15-4) get that shot at No.1 Portsmouth, which edged them in last year’s title game, on Tuesday night at 7 at Stellos. Portsmouth blew out Windham, 20-10, in the other semi.

“They have a very nice two-man game,” HB coach Linda Haytayan said of her two standouts. “Great chemistry, and although we have several other very capable shooters, they pulled through in clutch moments.”

One of those came early, when the the teams were deadlocked at 4. Mello fed Hill with 9:15 left, Hill then fed Mellow at 3:26, and Hill scored again to give the Cavs a 7-4 halftime lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

Twice the Bears closed to within a goal, 8-7 with 15:07 left and 9-8 with 12:17 to go, and twice the Cavs’ dynamic duo combined to push the lead to two goals. Mello scored again with 5:58 to go to give the Cavs’ an 11-8 lead and then it was time to go into a possession game.

But Hanover, which came in on a nine game winning streak, certainly gave HB more than in the regular season, a resounding 16-9 Cavs win.

“These girls played with heart today, we’re so proud of them,” Bears coach Lindsay Fox said. “There are some things we could’ve done better, but they played with heart. … We had them on the ropes a couple of times. We did a lot better than we did the last time.”

“They did,” said Haytayan, whose team this time was without one of its better players, Ireland Stark (season ending knee injury). “We were going to focus on possession and slowing the ball down, and they found the open player.

“We hit the pipes I think four or five times. But they held their composure, believed in each other and did a great job.”

Hanover was paced by Caroline Adams’ three goals and two each from Maeve Lee and Kacee McDonneze.

HB’s contributors were many. Cailean Roy and Juliette Ogren had an assist each for the Cavs, who force key turnovers or, with goalie Hallie Bardani, made key saves (eight) anytime the Bears got possession down a goal. Defensively, Daniella Allanach, Julia Vella, Nicole Heiter, Kaitlyn Castriotta and Abbie Ogren were keys.

It also helped that Hill and Haytayan combined for 11 draw controls.

“Others just held their composure, we didn’t crowd in on the offense, pulled out when we needed to,” Haytayan said. “And when a play wasn’t executed, we reset, which we worked in practice.”

And now a couple of practices to go before the game they’ve been waiting so long for.

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