AUGUSTA – Yes, these are the same Messalonskee girls who scored 19 and 14 points in back-to-back games this season and barely held on to a playoff spot.

And these are the same Morse girls who were 17-1 in the regular season and earned the No. 1 seed in Eastern Class A.

So it was a complete shocker that Messalonskee took the lead for good in the second quarter, shut down Morse star Nikolene Ostergaard in the second half and scored a stunning 53-43 victory in a regional quarterfinal Friday night at the Augusta Civic Center.

“We knew we were the underdog,” said Megan Pelletier, who scored 20 points for Messalonskee. “We had nothing to lose. It worked out for us. We wanted it.”

Eighth-seeded Messalonskee (10-9) will face fourth-ranked Cony (11-8) in the semifinals at 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Augusta Civic Center.

The game went the way that was expected for a little more than a quarter. Early in the second, Ostergaard (13 points on 6-of-15 shooting) hit a 3-pointer to increase Morse’s lead to 17-10.

But just a few seconds later, she tried for a steal and was called for her second foul. Morse Coach Mike Hart immediately sat her down, and just as immediately the game changed.

Mary Badeen (17 points) continued to hit from the outside and without Ostergaard’s presence inside, Pelletier and Mickee McCafferty were able to control the paint at both ends for Messalonskee.

By the time Ostergaard returned after sitting for a little more than three minutes, the Eagles had gone on an 11-0 run to lead 21-17.

“Their momentum went down,” Badeen said, “and we just kept going.”

Whether it was confidence, momentum or some combination, Messalonskee continued to play well even with Ostergaard back on the floor. The Eagles extended their lead to 29-22 at halftime, then began the third quarter on another 9-0 run, and Pelletier scored nine points in the quarter. The Eagles led by as much as 16.

Morse made one final charge when Emma Block and Kathryn Henrikson hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to get the Shipbuilders within 47-41 with 4:14 to play. But Messalonskee scored the next five points, and Morse made just 5 of 21 shots in the fourth quarter.

Ostergaard’s 13 points paced Morse. Tarra Burr added 12 and Block 10.