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KEVIN GUTTING

Amherst Regional junior forward Kristen Ferola, left, defends Nicole Boudreau of Andover during the Division 1 state championship game Saturday at the DCU Center in Worcester. Andover won 61-51.

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KEVIN GUTTING

Jackie Alois, center, of Andover wrestles for a rebound with Amherst Regional defenders Nancy Mangels, left, and Forbasaw Nkamebo during the Division 1 state championship game Saturday at the DCU Center in Worcester. Andover won 61-51.

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KEVIN GUTTING

Amherst Regional junior forward Kristen Ferola, left, is pressured by Ally Fazio of Andover during the Division 1 state championship game Saturday at the DCU Center in Worcester. Andover won 61-51.

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KEVIN GUTTING

Amherst juniors Kristen Ferola, center, and Forbasaw Nkamebo embrace while teammates, from left, senior Nancy Mangels, sophomore Sarah Mangels and senior Molly Schulman watch Andover receive the championship trophy following the Hurricanes’ 61-51 loss in the Division 1 state championship game Saturday at the DCU Center in Worcester.

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KEVIN GUTTING

Amherst Regional junior guard Victoria Stewart, right, passes over pressure by Devon Caveney of Andover during the Division 1 state championship game Saturday at the DCU Center in Worcester. Andover won 61-51.

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KEVIN GUTTING

Amherst Regional junior guard Brianna Leonard, left, scores two points despite pressure from Jackie Alois of Andover during the Division 1 state championship game Saturday at the DCU Center in Worcester. Andover won 61-51.

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KEVIN GUTTING

Amherst Regional senior guard Molly Schulman, left, drives past Olivia Biles of Andover during the Division 1 state championship game Saturday at the DCU Center in Worcester. Andover won 61-51.

WORCESTER - Amherst Regional junior Kristen Ferola knew the challenge entering Saturday's state Division 1 title game. She was given the job of trying to slow down the Gatorade Player of the Year in Massachusetts, Andover standout guard Nicole Boudreau.

"I knew holding her back at all would be helpful," Ferola said. "I knew she was the Gatorade Player of the Year and that she averages a ton of points, so I wanted to try to get her off her game at all because I knew that would help us."

And while Ferola was fabulous throughout the contest, it was not enough for the Hurricanes to knock off the defending champions in a 61-51 defeat at the DCU Center.

Boudreau worked hard for every point and scored a game-high 18, more than five below her season average.

"I thought Kristen did a remarkable job," Amherst coach Christal Murphy said. "Boudreau is a great player, but I thought Kristen was remarkable defensively. Kristen has been such a big part of our defense this year. She's kind of an unsung hero, especially on the defensive end. I knew Kristen would give 120 percent and she really did a good job."

The Golden Warriors run Boudreau off numerous screens in virtually every offensive set and used different looks throughout the contest to try to get her going.

"It was tough. I just tried to keep my energy high," Ferola said of chasing her opponent for 32 minutes. "They screen for her every time. It seemed like every play was designed for her. She made shots and I knew she would make some, but I just kept thinking that any time I could get her to miss would help us."

Boudreau scored eight points in the first half and a handful of her baskets came in transition. She also added three 3-pointers, including one from behind the NBA line.

"I thought we played pretty good defense. I just wish we could have gotten out on a few more of their 3-pointers," Ferola said. "It seemed like they had a few open looks and we could have done a better job getting through the screens."

Amherst had some success against star players earlier this season, going a combined 3-0 against Holyoke, led by Monique Heard, and West Springfield and Dana Theobald. But it was Andover's supporting cast that keyed its ability to overcome a relatively off night for its superstar.

"With Monique and Dana, their teams didn't have the other players that Andover had," Ferola said. "Even if I shut (Boudreau) down, another girl could knock down a 3. We couldn't double team her because then one of her teammates would make a 3. It was a lot harder to have to try to shut her down while having to worry about shutting all of her teammates down."

Along with Boudreau, the Golden Warriors had three other players in double digits, led by Devon Caveney with 14 points. Jackie Alois added 12, while Natalie Gomez-Martinez finished with 10.

Boudreau credited Amherst's defensive effort after the game.

"They played extremely well on defense," she said. "You have to give all the credit in the world to their coach. They knew exactly how to play us even though they probably haven't seen us play that much. I give them all the credit for playing defensively like they did. They made it very hard for us."

SENIORS - The game marked the final contest for Hurricanes seniors Nancy Mangels, Nicole DeMarchena and Molly Schulman.

"It's bittersweet because it's the last game I've ever coached Nicole, Molly and Nancy," Murphy said. "What they've done and what they've accomplished, the leadership they've provided for this team, I don't even have words to express my gratitude to them. Those three seniors are so special."

DeMarchena missed the entire season due to a knee injury, but remained a key participant on the bench at every game and only missed practice when her physical therapy schedule interfered.

MURPHY AT DCU/CENTRUM - The loss marked the first ever for Murphy as a player or coach. She went 5-0 in the building as a player at Minnechaug, including three state finals, and improved to 6-0 with Tuesday's semifinal win over Algonquin.

WEST SWEPT - There were no state basketball championship brought back to western Massachusetts on Saturday as the only other team playing, the Lee girls, lost 64-54 to St. Mary's of Lynn in the Division 3 final.

Lee went 24-2 this season, with its only two losses coming to the Spartans (24-4).

Jim Pignatiello can be reached at jpignatiello@gazettenet.com.