Milford's Claire Cote battles to go up for two against Coe-Brown's Scarlett Martyniak during Saturday night's Division II quarterfinals in Milford. (Courtesy photo by Betsy Hansen)

MILFORD — Showcase a dominant defense with a swift offense in a tournament game, and the results are usually good.

That’s why the Milford High School girls basketball team is headed to the Division II semifinals.

The No. 2 Spartans downed the No. 10 Coe-Brown Bears 55-42 in Saturday night’s quarterfinals, and will now get set to face No. 3 Derryfield on Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Pinkerton Academy’s Hackler Gymnasium.

It’s just a continuation of what has been a season to remember for the 16-3 Spartans.

“This team has been on a mission since the first day of practice,” Milford coach Mike Davidson said. “There’s just no quit in this team. Outstanding senior leadership has carried us through. They just don’t want the season to end.”

Milford’s early 4-0 run, anchored by Avery Fuller’s (12 points) defensive presence, set the tone. Shea Hansen (14 points) ignited Milford’s offense with three three-pointers, while Coe-Brown’s Hannah Meehan (19 points) countered with 10 first-quarter points, including two three-pointers, leading to a narrow 13-12 Milford lead.

However, Milford extended its lead in the second quarter, fueled by Hansen’s sharpshooting, entering halftime up 26-21.

Fuller’s defensive pressure proved crucial in the second half, creating turnovers and stifling Coe-Brown’s offense. Meehan was limited after her first half output of 15 points, with just four in the second half.

“We made a defensive adjustment to make her as uncomfortable as possible and, for the most part, it worked,” Davidson said.

Milford’s speed and inside defensive presence, with Fuller and Elliana Nessy both being disruptive in the paint, further minted Milford’s lead in the third quarter, 41-33.

Claire Cote added nine points for the winners. Hansen’s early offensive outburst was another key, Davidson felt.

“Shea never came out of the game,” he said. “She’s the quarterback of the offense and every player feeds off her energy and command of our offense.

“The beauty of our team is that no one cares who scores. Shea had four 3-pointers in the first half, and Coe-Brown had to make an adjustment for that. With Shea on one wing and Lulu (Maguire) or Lexi on their other wing, you have to pick your poison on who to guard. That opens up the middle for Claire, Avery and Ellie to do damage in the paint. The trio scored 18 points in the paint or on free throws in the second half.”

A timely made three-pointer from Maguire (nine points) and a couple of trips to the charity stripe in the fourth quarter secured Milford’s victory.

Coe-Brown, which upset Bow in the prelims, finishes up at 8-11.