Hollis Brookline's Anna O'Donnell, left, looks to maneuver against Milford's Maggie Pelletier and Claire Cote (5) during Wednesday night's game in Hollis. (Photo by Dan Aulbach)

HOLLIS — Even with the typical New England Nor’easter postponing their matchup one night, the Hollis Brookline High School girls basketball team looked cozy in the comforts of their home gym Wednesday, besting Milford 57-54 in a refreshing offensive performance to get first-year head coach Heidi Moore her fifth win of the Division II season.

The key to success? A dynamic offense. With a dominant paint presence from junior Anika Carlson and perimeter shooting from freshman Samantha Disco, the scoring duo put up 14 points each in the 5-2 Cavaliers’ path to victory.

“She [Carlson] has been working really, really hard,” said Moore. “She’s so strong inside against smaller teams. They can’t stop her.”

With HB for the 2-3 zone for the majority of the contest, scoring became troublesome for Milford in the second and third quarters, getting outscored 35-21 and down 49-36 entering the fourth quarter. The Spartans relied on perimeter shooting from Claire Cote (14 points) while Ellianna Nassy had a career high 23 point, including 13 in the fourth quarter. But they are now 4-3 having lost their third straight in Division II.

“It’s a work in progress with us right now,” said Milford head coach Mike Davidson. “Every team that scouts us sees the same thing: ‘Run a zone, they don’t have an effective offense.’ I think it’s gotten better since the first game, but it’s not where it needs to be.”

Milford climbed back in the fourth quarter and played aggressively on both ends of the court to get back within two scores as they outscored HB 18-8, but the Cavaliers halted any comeback attempts from the Spartans.

“We’ve been working a lot on movement,” said Moore. “We have no set offense, and I think that’s what’s so beneficial. We’re not as robotic as other teams; in tighter games when plays aren’t going to work you have to have a basketball IQ and we did that tonight.”

Carrying a two-game win streak, the Cavaliers head up Friday to face Pembroke at 7 p.m., while Milford hosts Bow at 6:30.