Milford's Shea Hansen goes past Pembroke's Anne Phillips on her way to the basket during Friday's game in Milford. (Photo by Joe Marchilena/NH-HighSchoolSports.com)

MILFORD – The Division II postseason tournament doesn’t officially start until next week, but the Milford High School girls basketball team has been in playoff mode for quite some time.

Having that mindset to close out the regular season helped the Spartans put themselves in great position for the second season.

Milford wrapped up the regular season Friday night by holding Pembroke Academy in check for most of the way, as the Spartans led just about from start to finish for a 47-35 win.

The victory, combined with Oyster River’s loss to Pelham, moved Milford (15-3) into the No. 2 seed in the D2 tournament, which gives it a bye into the quarterfinals on March 8.

“We have been working so, so hard, and we knew that, the final stretch was really big,” Milford senior Lulu Maguire said. “We had to win this. We knew we had to do it and we put our heart and soul into it, and I’m glad we came out on top.”

Milford goes into the postseason having won six in a row and nine of its last 10, including wins over two teams that are also in the top five.

On a night when outside shots weren’t falling, and the Spartans’ leading scorer went without a point, Milford had to find other ways to win. It started on defense, and in the second half, it was Maguire and junior Shea Hansen leading the way.

Hansen scored 13 of her team-high 16 points in the second half, including two three-point plays that helped fire up her teammates. Maguire had 10 of her 13 points after halftime, including two drives to the hoop in the final 90 seconds that helped Milford create separation.

“It’s players understanding the moment and meeting it,” Milford coach Mike Davidson said. “Two guards, undersized, who said we’re not losing today. They got it done. They found a way to the rim, they finished it.”

Ellianna Nassy added nine points and Claire Cote scored seven points for the Spartans.

Pembroke (14-4) got a game-high 18 points from Kate Stephens and 11 points, including three 3-pointers, from Anne Phillips. The loss drops the Spartans to the No. 5 seed in the tournament.

Milford had a 10-8 lead at the end of the first quarter and opened the second with a 9-0 run to take an 11-point lead. But in the final two minutes of the half, Pembroke closed the game, cutting the lead to 20-14 before the break.

Neither offense could do much early in the second half, as each team hit a 3-pointer over the first four minutes. With 3:48 to go in the quarter, Hansen drove to the basket, was fouled hard and landed hard.

After taking a moment, she hit both free throws and seemed to provide a spark for her teammates, going to the basket four more times for layups and a pair of three-point plays.

“Just take my time,” Hansen said of bouncing back from the foul. “I’ve always said ‘be a goldfish.’ It was just, next play.

“I think we usually have our shots falling and they weren’t falling. We knew we had to think of something else, and overall, staying composed. We kept working together, again, it’s just such a big part of us.”

Despite that, a pair of baskets by Stephens helped Pembroke cut the Milford lead down to 35-31 with just under five minutes to play. But the Spartans couldn’t get closer, as Hansen scored twice, and with Milford up six points, Maguire had back-to-back layups to give her Spartans a 10-point advantage.

“Without question, it was our best effort of the year on both ends of the floor,” Davidson said. “These girls had a goal in mind at the beginning of the year, back on that first Monday after Thanksgiving, they were talking state title. Now it’s within grasp. It’s starting to feel real for them. I’m just excited to see what happens in the next couple of weeks.”