LOWELL — It wasn’t for lack of effort on No. 3 South Hadley’s part, the top team in Division 4 simply earned that ranking for a reason.

So when No. 1 Cathedral of Boston – winners of now six state championships in the last nine seasons – ripped off 12 straight points and erased an early 10-point hole against the Tigers in the MIAA D4 title contest on Sunday afternoon at Tsongas Center, they weren’t exactly surprised.

“That’s a really good team,” South Hadley senior Drew Alley said. “They play good teams, they’ve been successful all season. We’ve seen them before the past two years and it’s always been a tough game. We know what we’re capable of, we showed that in the first half, but we weren’t able to pull it out.”

After opening the game with a 16-6 advantage, not much went South Hadley’s way. Cathedral found itself trailing at the end of the opening quarter for the first time this postseason, but its deficit didn’t last. The Panthers outscored South Hadley 21-6 in the second quarter to take a 10-points lead into halftime.

The Tigers never got any closer, as their 19-game winning streak came to an end in the state title game with a 69-49 loss to Cathedral in their first-ever appearance in the championship contest.

Sunday marked the end of South Hadley’s most successful season in program history. Even despite the loss in the state championship, the Tigers won 22 games (their most ever) – including a Suburban League title and a Class B Western Mass. crown. 

“We’re happy with it,” South Hadley head coach Paul Dubuc said. “League championship, Western Mass. championship, state final... we gotta learn from it.”

In that first quarter, one where the Tigers had no problem breaking Cathedral’s press, Alley and Ava Asselin combined for 12 of South Hadley’s 20 points.

Freshmen Taylor Bullough, Cara Dean and Kate Phillips – with the help of veteran captains CC Gurek and Alley – came off the bench midway through the frame and showed no signs of nerves as the Tigers went on a 10-0 run capped off by an Alley floater in the lane.

“You couldn’t ask for a better start,” Dubuc said. “But we don’t [win a state title] for winning the first quarter. That’s what we wanted to do but we couldn’t sustain it. We would’ve liked to sustain it, but we didn’t.”

Not until the 2 minute, 25-second mark of the second quarter did Cathedral took its first lead on a Hijjah Allen-Paisley 3-pointer. That deep shot opened the floodgates.

Malani Smith buried a 3 on the ensuing possession, then Allen-Paisley knocked down another following a South Hadley turnover. A free throw from Keyona Raines and a Tamia Darling two put the bow on a dozen unanswered Panther points as the Tigers limped to the locker room down double digits at 36-26.

Ball security was the focal point of Dubuc’s halftime speech.

“Our intensity was there, but I think we could’ve been stronger when we had the ball,” Dubuc said. “What are you gonna do? We played our butts off. It wasn’t for a lack of effort or want. [Cathedral] is good. We battled hard.”

The third quarter played out evenly, but another eight minutes of relentless pressure from the Panthers only wore South Hadley down more.

For the majority of the quarter and beyond, the Tigers had no energy on the defensive glass. Cathedral pulled down at least one offensive board seemingly every trip down, sometimes snagging three or even four.

“We gave them too many shots,” Dubuc said. “I thought in the second half our defensive rebounding was not really good, I don’t know any other way to say it. We gave them too many shots. If a team is a 30 percent shooting team and you give them a second shot, they’re 65 percent, you give them a third shot, they’re 95. You’re not gonna win any games giving up that many shots. We got caught watching the ball.”

Trailing by 12 heading into the fourth, South Hadley surrendered the frame’s first five points to Cathedral – effectively putting things out of reach for good.

Jasmine Day-Cox posted a near triple-double (points, rebounds and steal) and poured in a game-high 18 points. Smith scored 16 points and Allen-Paisley’s four 3s and a free throw gave her 13 points in Cathedral’s win.

Phillips put up a team-high 13 points for the Tigers, Cara Dean and Asselin each tossed in nine points while Alley tallied eight. Caitlin Dean (six) and Gurek (four) combined for 10 points to round out South Hadley’s scoring on Sunday.

While the loss hurts now, Dubuc recognized it’s only going to fuel his team – one that brings everyone but Alley back next season.

“This is gonna help us in the future,” Dubuc said of the experience of playing in several high-pressure postseason games this year. “It’s not gonna help us right now or in a week and a half, but come the Monday after Thanksgiving this is gonna help us a lot. And they’re gonna be a year older, a year stronger and a year smarter. We’re planning on making another run.”

Alley fouled out midway through the fourth trying to take a charge on Day-Cox. The officials may have called a block, but it was a fitting way for Alley to go out – trying to make one last hustle play for her team as she has done throughout her entire career.

The South Hadley faithful gave her a standing ovation as she exited the game greeted by a big hug from Dubuc.

“She’s been phenomenal,” Dubuc said of Alley. “She’s done everything we’ve asked her to do – offensively and defensively. She’s been a great leader. She’s very athletic. Athleticism met up with maturity. She’s very smart on the basketball court.”

After the game, Alley thanked the South Hadley community for traveling in bunches to Sunday’s game and for all the support they’ve shown the Tigers this winter.

And although Alley can’t lace her kicks up with her teammates next November, she’s still excited to cheer them on from afar – and she has high expectations for her friends.

“I think this team can definitely be state champions next year,” Alley said. “They’re gonna be alright.”