Michelle Maher's older brother Pat won his first and only sectional championship last season.
Now, the Maine South junior is in position to end his household bragging rights.
Maher scored eight of her game-high 10 in the second half Monday as the No. 1-seeded Hawks held off seventh-seeded Resurrection for a 39-35 victory in the semifinals of the Maine East Sectional.
"Yes, I was a little nervous," said Maher, whose team trailed by as many as eight in the first half and by four midway through the fourth quarter. "But I knew we could pull it off."
Jenna Rice's three-pointer and Annie Stauffer's three-point play capped a 12-2 run that gave the Bandits (17-12) a 34-30 advantage with 4:10 to go in the game.
But Nina Duric knocked down two free throws and Regan Carmichael's steal and jumper tied the score at 34-all.
Maher then hit three free throws in the final 52.8 seconds to help Maine South (25-8) escape the upset effort.
The Hawks struggled on free throws, finishing 13-for-28 from the line.
"We will be able to fix that this week," Maher said.
Duric scored when it mattered. The junior's five points at the end of the first half were part of a 10-0 run that changed the game's momentum and allowed the Hawks to go into the half up 18-16. She followed Maher with nine points.
Jacqui Grant scored eight, and Mackenzie Duffy added five points. One of eight Bandits to score, Colleen Herion led Resurrection with eight points. Sam Ruehl and Stauffer each added six points.
Maine South plays for its first sectional title since the 2007-08 season Thursday at Maine East.
"We didn't play our best, but we battled out a win," said Maine South coach Mark Smith, who guided the program to a fourth-place finish in 2006, his rookie season.
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