PORTLAND

The Morse High School girls basketball team had just watched a 13- point fourth-quarter lead evaporate against Brunswick in a Class A South quarterfinal at the Portland Expo on Monday.

The once rowdy Shipbuilders’ faithful was quiet, several fans pacing, wondering if Morse had one more gasp left.

The Shipbuilders did, using a 6-0 run and a suffocating 1-3-1 defense to down the fourth-seeded Dragons, 42-37.

Morse (11-8) will take on top-seeded York (19-0) at Cross Insurance Arena in a Class A South semifinal on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. Brunswick finished its season with an 11-8 record.

Tied at 34 after Brunswick’s 13-0 run, Emma Harrington put the Shipbuilders ahead with a free throw. Moments later, Noa Sreden banked in a 3-pointer while being fouled for a 38-34 Morse lead. She missed the free throw, but sophomore Sierra Wallace finished off her 14-point effort by hitting two free throws to send the Shipbuilders to the semifinals for the first time since the 2009/10 season after downing Mt. Ararat at the Augusta Civic Center.

“This game came from our hearts, and we just really wanted to beat Brunswick,” said Wallace. “I was ready to go. I wanted to beat them. We kept our heads up, knowing that we were in this game. We knew it could go either way, and we just kept fighting.”

“She was in a zone tonight. Sometimes she tends to force some things. Tonight, she had the hot hand, and we teach to keep feeding the hot hand,” said Morse coach Becky Roak of Wallace. “She created quite a bit for herself tonight.”

For Brunswick coach Sam Farrell, he watched his team fight to the end, led by senior Emily Black, who had nine second-half points in her return to the lineup after sustaining a concussion five games ago.

“Emily Black, a senior playing with four fouls, and her senior leadership really stepped up there. She has been a Dragon since sixth-grade and she played that way tonight,” said Farrell.

Early on, it was Wallace who had it going. She scored the first five points of the game, and watched as Signe Ostergaard set up Isabelle Paulus for a lay-up and a 7-0 edge.

Brunswick finally scored with 1:38 left in the opening quarter, getting a 3-pointer from Madeline Suhr. A foul on Morse while Suhr’s shot was in the air gave the Dragons possession, and Brooke Barter converted for a quick five points for Brunswick.

Sabrina Armstrong made it an eight-point Dragons run before Wallace finished off her six-point opening frame with a free throw to tie the game after eight minutes.

Morse out-scored Brunswick 8-4 in a sloppy second quarter, giving the Shipbuilders a 16-12 halftime lead. The teams combined for eight turnovers and made just 6-of-34 shots.

“We just didn’t hit shots, and normally we hit a couple shots to pull them out,” said Farrell. “We were settling for outside shots, and then in the second half we started driving to the basket.”

Morse opened the second half with a 7-0 run to jump out to a 23-12 lead, and when Emma Harrington converted in the paint, the Shipbuilders had built a 29-15 lead.

“Early on, we played really relaxed, and we had a lead,” said Roak. “We played the zone really well and were able to get out on their shooters.”

Black refused to be denied to close the third quarter, driving inside against the bigs of Morse for four points to get the Dragons to 29-21 after three quarters.

Again Morse pulled away. A three-point play by Harrington was followed by a short jumper from Wallace for a 34-21 lead.

Back came Brunswick, which started its run with a 3-ball from Suhr, who had a team-high 13 points. Sabrina Armstrong, who had 11 points, scored inside, and Suhr swished another trey to get Brunswick to 34-29.

“Brunswick forced us into some quick shots,” said Roak after Brunswick tied the game on a steal and basket by Suhr. “We did everything possible to try and give it to them.”

But, Sreden’s 3-pointer gave Morse some distance, and Brunswick, despite forcing seven Morse turnovers and pulling down six offensive boards down the stretch, failed to make shots.

“We had a chance, had a three rim out, and against the press we had a couple steals, but you have to make shots in the tournament,” said Farrell after his team shot 24- percent (14-of-58) from the floor. “We made shots on that run, but we didn’t make shots consistently. As a coach, I want my kids to fight to the end and these kids fought to the end.”

The first quarterfinal win in six years wasn’t lost on Roak and her Shipbuilders.

“It has been a very long time since this program has gone past the first round, so this is big for these kids,” said Roak. “We were able to keep enough composure to get through it.”

Ostergaard chipped in eight points, five rebounds and three assists for Morse, with Harrington adding seven points and six boards, and Paulus six points and nine caroms. Sreden added four steals and five points. Morse finished 13-of-20 at the free-throw line.

Adrianna White led Brunswick with eight rebounds, with Suhr picking up four steals.

No. 5 Morse 42,
No. 4 Brunswick 37

Class A South Girls Quarterfinal
At the Portland Expo
Morse — 8 8 13 13 — 42
Brunswick—84 916—37
Morse — Noa Sreden 2-0-5, Emma Harrington
2-3-7, Isabelle Paulus 3-0-6, Sierra Wallace 4-
4-14, Signe Ostergaard 2-4-8, Katie Moore 0-2-
2, Marissa Parks 0-0-0. Totals — 13-13-42.
Brunswick — Sabrina Armstrong 4-2-11,
Madeline Suhr 5-0-13, Adrianna White 0-1-1,
Charlotte MacMillan 0-0-0, Emily Black 4-0-9,
Brooke Barter 1-1-3, Aidan Sachs 0-0-0, Rian
Sachs 0-0-0, Brianna Newton 0-0-0, Alicia Armstrong 0-0-0, Heather Kinee 0-0-0. Totals —
14-4-37.
3-point field goals — (Mo) Sierra Wallace 2,
Noa Sreden; (B) Madeline Suhr 3, Sabrina Armstrong, Emily Black.
Records — Morse 11-8, Brunswick 11-8.
Up next for the Shipbuilders — Wednesday
against No. 1 York in the semifinals at Cross
Insurance Arena in Portland, 3:30 p.m.
Note — Brunswick’s season is completed.