McDONALD — Winning on McDonald’s home court is never an easy task for a visiting team, but that’s exactly what Maplewood pulled off on Wednesday.

The Rockets (9-7) built a 20-point cushion in the fourth quarter and walked away with an impressive 49-38 victory.

“We prepared hard for this game,” Maplewood coach Stephanie Pykare said. “We were supposed to play it between Christmas and New Year’s, and it didn’t work out. We got shut down. McDonald has such a historical program. They’re so well respected. We did our homework. We had some players step up.”

One of those players was Baylie Starcher, who scored 9 of her team-high 19 points in the first quarter, but McDonald led 13-11 heading to the second.

“We played a great game,” Starcher said. ” We worked well together. We pushed the ball. I’m really grateful for all of my teammates that came out my senior year. They’re such great people.”

Her teammate Marissa Ventura chipped in 10 points and dished out one assist after another.

“Everyone knows that Marissa is our power house,” Pykare said. “She probably had 10 to 12 assists tonight. When we can step out of our roles, and contribute in other ways, it makes it very encouraging as we head toward the tournament.”

McDonald only returns one starter from a team that was one win away from a state championship a season ago. Senior Lucia Wolford finished with a game-high 22 points for the Blue Devils. Wolford raced up and down the court with a multitude of steals and lay-ups.

“She’s trying to do everything,” McDonald coach Tony Matisi said. “She feels like she has to do everything trying to lead these young kids. Sometimes, it overwhelms her. But, I wouldn’t go to battle with anybody else but her.

“We’re up and down. It’s been a fun season. We’ve come a long way. These kids are learning. Not as fast as I’d like, but they’re coming along.”

Maplewood displayed crisp ball movement in the second. Hannah Gaylog (12 points) made a nice jumper. Abbey Nay pulled down an offensive rebound, and hit a shot at the halftime buzzer, as the Rockets took a 29-18 lead to the break.

Abigail Dority put it back up and in to start the second half for Maplewood. Wolford swiped it again, but Ventura returned the favor. Ventura finished the quarter with a baby hook inside, and Maplewood was up 37-23 after three quarters.

Dority started the fourth with a perfect finger-roll. However, the Blue Devils weren’t going to go down quietly. Alivia Morrison had a good take. Lea Gabrelcik nailed one from behind the arc, and Wolford continued putting the ball in the hoop.

Suddenly, a 20-point advantage was down to 10 for Maplewood with 2 minutes left. Luckily, for the Rockets, Ventura helped close out the victory with a no-look pass and by scoring in the lane.

“I just play,” Ventura said. ” My teammates came up clutch. They scored. We made a lot of good passes. We boxed out and got rebounds. I’m pretty happy with how we performed. We knew we could win.”