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Colleen Fortier erupted for 20 points including four 3-pointers as Pinkerton tripped Salem 65-41. Kayla Stacy added 16 points and Mariah Bonneau 11. Emily Hickey led Salem with nine points.

WORCESTER — After sharing a warm embrace with her teammates, and a hug with her father, Andover’s Ally Fazio looked around and yelled the words on every Golden Warrior’s minds. “Pinch me because I must be dreaming,” he said. For the third straight season, it was a reality for Andover, as the Golden Warriors turned a two-point halftime deficit into an 11-point lead after three quarters on the way to clinching their third consecutive Division 1 state title with a 61-45 victory over Holyoke last night. “We made history,” said forward Rebecca Alois. “We made history and I am so proud of everyone.” With the win, the Golden Warriors became just the second team in the 36-year history of the Division 1 tournament to three-peat as state champs, matching Haverhill’s record (1994-96). “I walked off the court and I couldn’t hold back the tears,” said forward Jackie Alois. “I looked at everyone and just hugged them as hard as I could. It cannot get any better than this.” It literally could not have finished any better for the Golden Warriors. The victory iced Andover’s undefeated 27-0 season, the first in program history. They lost just once on the way to the title last season. “This was an absolutely perfect season,” said star forward Nicole Boudreau. “Undefeated state champs, nothing is better. This really was a flawless season.” The Golden Warriors arrived at the DCU Center hours before the game, watching the early contests while focusing on their goal. “We were ready to play,” said guard Devon Caveney. “We wanted this three-peat so badly. We were not going to accept anything less.” But the game didn’t start in perfect fashion for Andover, which struggled from the floor in the first half, leading just 15-14 after a quarter and falling behind 27-25 at halftime. Jackie Alois said, “At halftime we looked at each other and said, ‘This is ours.’ It gave me shivers. We came out with so much fire.” And Boudreau, like any great shooter, was far from discouraged by a few struggles. “We started a little slow,” said Boudreau, who scored a game-high 31 points. “We didn’t hit some shots we normally do in the first half. But we kept telling ourselves, ‘Keep shooting, they’ll drop.’ And eventually they did.” After going scoreless through the first 3:24 of the third, the Golden Warriors surged to a 16-3 run to finish off the quarter, capped by Fazio grabbing a steal and knocking down a 3-pointer from the top of the key. “At the end of the third when Ally hit the 3-pointer we all went crazy,” said Rebecca Alois. “Then, when Nicole hit the four-point play early in the fourth I really knew it was going to happen.” Boudreau opened the fourth with a pair of buckets, then all but clinched the victory, sinking an NBA-range 3-pointer while being knocked to the ground. She added the free throw that dashed any hopes that still lingered for Holyoke. “I just tried to take everything in,” said Caveney, who scored nine of her 13 points in the second half. “It was just unforgettable. What an amazing ride.” As the final moments ticked away, Boudreau and Fazio were each subbed out of the game, the two four-year starters receiving a loud ovation from the crowd and hugs from friends and coach Jim Tildsley. “I have no words to describe the feeling,” said Fazio, who scored nine points. “Late in the fourth it just clicked it was going to happen It was an amazing moment.” Following the victory, the Golden Warriors once again stormed the court, players toppling over one another in excitement. “It’s hard to know I’m not going to be with this team next year,” said Boudreau. “I don’t know if it’s all sunk in just yet. It will soon. But this is the best way it could end.” Even though it was a third title in three years, the feeling wasn’t any less emotional for the Golden Warriors. “To win once is great,” said Fazio. “To win twice is awesome. But to win three times is unbelievable. I will never forget this. I will never forget this my entire life.”

WORCESTER — This time, the Pentucket girls made absolutely sure that they would not be denied.

After falling short in the Division 3 state championship game in 2010, the Sachems came back yesterday in rousing fashion, overwhelming Sabis International of Springfield at the DCU Center, 55-32, to capture their first state basketball title.

Braintree led much of the way including 34-33 after three quarters but the fourth quarter has always been Nicole Boudreau's quarter. She took over late and Andover rolled to a 54-39 win in the state semifinals at the Garden.

Pentucket beat Fairhaven, 53-39, at the Garden to punch its ticket to the Division 3 state finals Saturday at the DCU Center in Worcester. The Sachems will play the winner of Wednesday's Sutton-Sabis game

MANCHESTER — Give Londonderry a ton of credit. The Lancers dove after every loose ball. They hit big shots in pressure situations. They brought fans at the Southern New Hampshire University gymnasium to their feet for the final three minutes of the Division 1 title game. And they fought tooth and nail to the end after their best player, Aliza Simpson, fouled out with 5:37 left. In the end, the No. 3 seeded Lancers lost 46-43 to top-seeded Bishop Guertin last night in one of the more exciting high school championship games you will see. Londonderry coach John Fagula is no newcomer to state championship games. He won 11 titles at Nashua High, including five straight from 1985-1989. “I don’t know about (it being) the most exciting one but it’s certainly up there because of what we were dealing with: losing the one kid (Simpson) who has really been this plug the whole time,” Fagula said. “You’re wondering, ‘Is someone else going to (step) up?’ ... They haven’t had to do that much because (Simpson) has stayed in ballgames throughout the whole year.”   The Lancers lost their second straight Division 1 championship game, but they were in good spirits afterward and they should have been. Londonderry’s lone senior, Lindsey Bolduc, shed no tears. She had a smile on her face from ear to ear. She knew her team had given every bit of effort it had in it — not just last night but during its whole playoff run, including knocking off five-time defending champion Winnacunnet in the Division 1 semifinals.    “I did not think we would make it this far,” Bolduc said. “I don’t think anyone did, actually. I think we’re very proud that we beat Winnacunnet. That was our main goal. I’m very proud of what we did.” The Lancers trailed by as many as 10 points in the fourth quarter yesterday. “Ten points and I was like, ‘Please don’t let this (become) a blowout. I don’t need that right now,’” Bolduc said.   Londonderry looked in pretty good shape when Simpson made a steal and cruised in for a layup to cut Bishop Guertin’s lead to just six points with 6:18 remaining. But then, Simpson fouled out with 5:36 left. “I think we knew that we could do it, it was just getting it into our heads not to be shy, not to think, ‘Oh, no, the game is over because she’s out,’” Bolduc said. “We just had to keep telling each other that we could do it and that the game wasn’t over.” The Cardinals increased the lead to nine points with 4:11 left. But Londonderry scored seven straight points to make it 41-39 with 1:16 remaining. And the Lancers tied it 42-42 with 0:51 remaining when Katherine Dzenis nailed a 3-pointer. The basketball rolled around the rim twice before finally going through the net. The Lancers fans went wild and screamed so loud people might have heard them in Londonderry. “I didn’t think it was going in,” Bolduc said. “But it went in and I was like, “All right. It’s tied. We’ve got this. We can do this.’” Bishop Guertin’s Jamie Sherburne converted two foul shots with 0:43 remaining to put the Cardinals ahead 44-42. Bolduc then drove hard to the basket and got fouled with :07 remaining.   She hit her first shot to make it a one-point game. “I just didn’t want to airball (the second shot),” Bolduc said, chuckling a bit. “That’s all I was thinking. I just wanted to hit something and maybe one of us would get the rebound and come back up with it.” That didn’t happen though. Bolduc missed her second foul shot and Bishop Guertin’s 6-foot forward Meghan Green grabbed the rebound. Londonderry fouled Sherburne with :04 left. And Sherburne converted both her free throws to make it 46-43. A desperation shot at the buzzer by Dzenis was no good. “To find ways to continue to keep coming back and staying with what we were doing, that was impressive to me and I was really extremely proud of that,” Fagula said. Bolduc added: “We’re a strong team as it is and we’re just losing me so next year I hope they will be right back in this position.”

Pentucket gave up only three field goals in the first half, storming to a 30-10 lead, on its way to a 49-30 victory over Ipswich and its fourth Division 3 North title in the last six years. 

Top-seeded Andover jumped out to a big early lead and held on as the Golden Warriors knocked off third-seeded Masconomet 61-53 to win their third consecutive Division1 North championship yesterday at the Tsongas Center in Lowell.

Andover's girls got 17 points from Nicole Beaudreau and 16 from Devon Caveney and rode some serious defensive pressure to roll over archrival Central Catholic 56-36 in the Division 1 North quarterfinals.

A 32-minute war ended with Windham having the last possession and seeing an 18-foot jumper rim out, allowing Kearsarge to escape with a 42-40 victory and a berth in the Division 2 finals.

After falling behind by seven — the largest lead for either team — with five minutes remaining, Windham clawed its way back into the battle once again when Clairee Putnam drained a 3-pointer and a layup while Bernadette Connors also hit a 3-ball with 23 seconds remaining.