Hollis Brookline's Ana O'Donnelll fights her way to the hoop against Milford's Trinity Millner (23) during Wednesday night's Division II prelim in Hollis. (Courtesy photo by Betsy Hansen)

HOLLIS — Ana O’Donnell was just a freshman the last time the Hollis Brookline girls basketball team won a playoff game. As the Cavaliers grabbed the seven-seed back in 2023 and took down Oyster River in the first round, she was mostly relegated to the bench as she watched the upperclassmen.

After two years of getting knocked out in the first round, O’Donnell didn’t leave anything up to chance Wednesday night vs. defending division champion Milford. Now as the team leader, she led a second half charge that turned a four-point halftime lead into a 55-27 runaway victory in the Division II prelims.The senior scored 16 of her 26 points in the third quarter.

“This is one of the first solid playoff wins we’ve had,” O’Donnell said. “It feels good to contribute more than I did my freshman year. I’ve been playing with these girls for almost four years. Things are really starting to click.”

Starting? The No. 5, 15-4 Cavs are perhaps the hottest team in the area, winners of 12 straight. Hollis Brookline moves on to the quarterfinals, where it heads to No.4 Pelham on Saturday with tip-off as of now at 6 p.m. The Pythons beat the Cavs 45-43 back in December.

Less than two weeks removed from defeating the Spartans 54-40 to close out the regular season, the Cavaliers knew they were in for another tough battle. Milford used a 9-0 run to close out the first quarter and led 13-9.

“We’ve been trying to put a focus on being patient, making good decisions, not rushing our offense, and not letting other teams speed us up,” Milford coach Michael Davidson said.

The Spartans (7-12) controlled the tempo as long as they could, but with a team like Hollis Brookline that wants to play pressure defense and run, the game changed very quickly.

O’Donnell opened the second quarter with a steal and layup to start a 9-0 run for the Cavs. She doubled-down with another steal and layup combination to make the score 18-13, forcing a Milford timeout.

“She has finally elevated her game,” said Hollis Brookline coach Heidi Moore, who got her first playoff win since taking over the varsity in 2023. “She is to the point where she knows she can play. These past six month, she has fallen in love with the game. And you can tell.”

Point guard Shea Hansen scored Milford’s only points in the quarter thanks to a free throw plus a field goal. A top-contributor during last year’s title run and a leading scoring in D-II this season, the senior led the Spartans with 10 points in what would be her final game.

“I’ve been coaching for a long time,” Davidson said. “And there’s never been a player with more passion, more love of the game, love of her teammates than Shea Hansen.”

The Hollis Brookline girls basketball players and their fans celebrate Wednesday night’s Divison II prelim round win over Milford (Photo by Jack Belanger)

Like the first matchup between these two teams, Hollis Brookline broke the game open late in the third quarter. After a free throw from Milford’s Nadia Tlapa made the score 32-23 in favor of the Cavs, HB on a 17-0 run that carried into the fourth quarter. The Spartans did not score again until the 2:14 left in the game.

Six other Cavaliers made the scorebook outside of O’Donnell. Mya Blackman contributed with eight points and controlled underneath the basket on both ends of the court. Samantha Disco scored eight as well while Payton and Kendall Dunn each knocked down a three on the night.

“They’re such a good group of kids. They don’t care who the high scorer is,” Moore said. “We always say ‘One night it may not be your night, but it may be somebody else’s night.’ It’s just awesome.”