Near the bottom of the 48-team pack of robotics teams from across New England, Pembroke Academy’s chances at a trip to the national finals were not looking good.

But after being selected as an ally with Trinity High School and Rhode Island’s Rhode Warriors team, Pembroke and its new partners went on an impressive run, ending the three-day competition at the top of the pack.

Pembroke’s Team Discovery and its two allies earned a trip to the FIRST Robotics finals in Atlanta, Ga., after winning consecutive matches in the finals against an opponent familiar to its team members.

Team Discovery has often paired up with Trinity, but on the other side of the track surrounded by flashing lights and Plexiglas stood members of St. Paul’s School and Bishop Brady, both of Concord.

“It was such a rollercoaster,” said head coach David Kelly. “We were with one team we have a great relationship with, but up against two teams that we were really close with as well.”

After its title-clinching victory, members of the winning alliance rushed the track, pig-piling each other and sharing hugs with anyone they could find. “It feels so great, and this is my first win on the team,” said Pembroke Academy’s Jeff Levesque. “As they were adding up the scores, I didn’t really care if we had won it, because we had already come so far no matter what.”

The theme for the day appeared to be chaos, as all of the teams worked furiously to prepare their robots for competition, which required each team to score points by moving their creations around the track and by moving track balls to a certain location.

Although each team wants to win, the competition breeds a unique sense of friendship between competitors as well. “I really like to see what everyone has done, and seeing their different robots,” said Tommy McCarthy, an Auburn resident on the Memorial High School team that placed 24th. “You never know who will be your friend by the end of the competition, so you help everyone that you can.”

Manchester West team member Thomas Provencher also said there is a balance between winning and being a friendly competitor.

“There’s a lot of energy and competition. We’re all vying for the same thing, and we want to win,” he said. “We’re helping each other here (in the pit area), but out there it’s a war. If your neighbor in the pit area has a broken part you help them, but on the floor it’s a different story.”

His team, Team 501, the PowerKnights, was selected as the winner of this year’s Engineering Inspiration Award, celebrating a team’s success in inspiring others to respect science and technology. This award also makes the team eligible to compete in Atlanta this year. During the semifinal round, Pembroke’s alliance nearly set a national scoring record, winning 106-72 to advance to the finals.

Kelly said it was nice to be able to give Trinity a hand in winning their first trip to the national competition.

“We have had a great longstanding relationship with Trinity,” he said. “They had never won one, so for us to be able to help them win one is awesome.”