Pelham's Tatum Doielatka puts up a layup against the Hollis Brookline defense during Saturday's Division II quarterfinal at PHS. (Photo by Jake Messer)

PELHAM –All good things must come to an end, and unfortunately for the Hollis Brookline girls basketball team, that’s what happened Saturday in the Division II quarterfinals.

The No. 5 Cavs saw the 12-game winning streak — and their season — come to a cruel end by a 44-43 count at the hands of No. 4 Pelham.

“I thought it was a great game.” said Pelham Head Coach Bob Shepard. “The game went back and forth. Both teams played furiously, and gave their all.”

The blame for HB’s demise can go directly to Pelham’s Grace Riley who intercepted an HB inbound pass with the score 42-40 and went coast to coast for a layup in the final minute to make it a 44-40 game. A Cavs’ late trey was too little, too late.

Despite coming up short, Hollis Brookline Head Coach Heidi Moore couldn’t be more proud of her 15-5 team. “It was an incredible year,” Moore said. “We started 0-3 and then we came back, it was a beautiful ride. I’m really so proud of them.”

The first quarter kicked off with a takeover from Hollis senior Ana O’Donell, who scored the team’s first six points, while also blocking two shots. However, her dominance wouldn’t be enough as the quarter ended with the Pythons in the lead in the lead 15-14.

The second quarter saw the Pythons (16-4) continue to move ahead, as senior Grace Riley’s four points and ability to quarterback the offense kept the Cavaliers defenders guessing. At halftime, the Pythons were ahead 22-16.

The third quarter kicked off similar to how the second ended, with the Pythons building on their lead. That all changed midway through the frame as O’Donell and company were able to run the floor and push the paint, getting to the free throw line and getting the lead down to two. With one quarter left to play, the Python’s maintained a slim lead of 30-28 over the Cavaliers.

Pelham will now take on No. 1, unbeaten Pembroke in the semifinals at Exeter High School on Wednesday.

“Our defense is very intense, right? But it results in fouls,” said Coach Shepard. “It was maybe a little too intense, so a more patient, up-tempo defense will be something to focus on.”

Meanwhile, the Cavs will now focus on next season. They say good-bye to O’Donnell and three others but will build around players like center Mya Blackman and guard Samantha Disco.