NORTHBORO — Sophomore guard Isabella Nascimento scored 16 second-half points Friday night to help second-ranked Shepherd Hill overcome a strong home effort by No. 8 Algonquin Regional, 56-46.

The Rams improved to 9-1, 3-1 in Mid-Wach A, with their loss coming to league-leading Wachusett.

After Algonquin’s Emily Genga dropped in a free throw to tie the game at 43 with less than four minutes to play, Nascimento (21 points) and Molly Springer (12) combined to score 11 of their team's final points as a tenacious defense limited to Tomahawks to a single bucket (by Rachel McMenemy, 12 points) to seal the win.

Nascimento, a strong ballhandler, was held largely in check in the first half but responded by nailing a 3-pointer, then assisted on a Reese Hammond basket for a 48-43 lead, and the visitors were ahead for good.

With two minutes left, Springer hit two free throws and then a short jumper on successive possessions for a nine-point margin that the Tomahawks (3-5, 1-2) couldn't overcome.

“We played as a team,” said Springer, a junior center. “In the beginning, it was a little rough, but then we turned it around and played as a team. We cheered each other on, and we passed the ball better and finished our shots at the end.”

The finish capped a back-and-forth game rife with lead changes and mini-runs.

The Rams took a 17-13 lead after one quarter, but a combination of cold shooting and an effective Algonquin defense limited the Rams to four second-quarter points, and the game was tied at 21-21 at the break.

"We did a couple of things in the second half,” Shepherd Hill coach Jim Hackenson said. “Our half-court trap turned the ball over a couple of times, but, (Algonquin) kept slashing in there and hit a couple of 3s, and it kept them in the game. Both teams really fought hard.”

The Tomahawks rallied in the third quarter, even taking a 38-31 lead after captain Jamie Rosen (11 points) drained a 3-pointer. But Shepherd Hill went on an 11-0 run within three minutes to thwart the effort.

“(Shepherd Hill) is tough, so I’m very happy with the way our kids played tonight,” Algonquin coach Melissa Fustino said. “They were on a run for a couple minutes, hit a 3 and got a couple rebounds, and we just couldn’t come back from that.

“We’ve made great strides in the last two weeks, and we just want to keep getting better defensively and in every aspect of the game,” Fustino added.

Hackenson took the win in stride, noting that his team’s goal is to get to the postseason.

“One more and we’re in the districts.," he said. "That’s how I see it.”

On Tuesday, Algonquin hosts Wachusett while Leominster will visit Shepherd Hill.

“We have some really big games coming up with Wachusett and Groton-Dunstable, so we’re going to need to buckle down and play really well,” Springer said. “I’m looking forward to it.”

—Contact Shaun Suhoski at sports@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @tgsports.