QUINCY — North Quincy’s girls basketball team relied on Maeve Powers for her usual output Wednesday, and she passed the test with flying colors.

The sophomore captain led all scorers with 20 points, as fifth-seeded North Quincy rolled to the Div. 2 quarterfinals with a 57-44 victory over No. 21 Archbishop Williams on Hancock Street.

“We definitely hit some big-time shots at the right time,” said North Quincy coach Liana Cunningham. “I’m more than proud of them. They owned this moment, and they truly shined.”

On paper, the neighboring schools appeared distant with North Quincy (19-3) serving as a favorite. But the two local rivals engaged in a dramatic chess match to start.

After a sluggish opening in which they were held to just one point over the initial five minutes of play, the Raiders erupted behind Powers. The guard keyed an instant 11-0 run, scoring nine points as North Quincy seized a 12-5 lead with 3:20 left in the first quarter.

“It was definitely a slow start,” Powers said. “We were kind of just easing into the game, everyone was getting comfortable. But once we kind of figured out their weaknesses and what we had to do, it just came easier to us, and it was just a lot better all around.”

Archbishop Williams (11-11) had an answer, as junior captain Jenna Mishou and freshman forward Alana McNamara combined to help the Bishops chip their deficit to a three-point game at 24-21 by halftime.

Once the third quarter got underway, however, so too did the Raiders. Led by an incredible effort defensively by sophomore Tabby McDonough, North Quincy would outscore Archbishop Williams in the frame, 24-11, and was able to construct a seemingly insurmountable lead at 48-32. The guard came away with three consecutive steals, two of which led to buckets to help kickstart the rally.

“Basketball is about a game of runs,” said Cunningham. “She had the greatest run during that game that we really needed. She stepped up in tremendous ways.”

From that point on, North Quincy was able to coast to an appearance in the Elite 8. Sophomore guard Nora Geary finished with 13 points to aid the Raiders, while McDonough collected 11 points to go with six steals.

Archbishop Williams was propelled by McNamara (18 points) and by Mishou (11 points).

North Quincy’s win sets up a meeting in the quarterfinals with Notre Dame (Hingham).

“I don’t know much about them,” said McDonough. “But we’ve been on a winning streak, so if I just think if we keep doing what we’re doing and just keep practicing how we are, then we have a good chance.”