The final buzzer sounded, and the tears flowed freely.

It may have been an historic week for Hannah Polumbo, the Marlboro Dukes’ only senior, but it also was her last week on the team as their season was ended by a 58-42 loss to the No. 2 Red Hook Raiders in Friday’s Section 9 Class A girls’ championship game at Mount St. Mary College in Newburgh.

“I’m extremely proud of them,” Marlboro coach Matt Murphy said. “We faced a lot of adversity this year, on and off the court, and the girls really persevered. They really showed a lot of mental strength at the end of the year, which is something we were lacking most of the season.”

It was a big week for Polumbo, who grabbed 19 rebounds and scored 12 points in the Dukes’ semifinal win over No. 4 Saugerties on Wednesday to grab her 1,000th career rebound. She became a 1,000-1,000 player on Friday night when she scored her 1,000th point in the championship game.

“I was proud of her,” Murphy said. “She played her heart out. She really did. If you’re going to go out, this is how you want to go out. She competed. I don’t know how many blocks she had, but she had rebounds, and scored when she could. It’s hard to get double- and triple-teamed and be successful.”

The loss concluded the Dukes’ most successful season since they won the Section 9 Class B championship four years ago. Polumbo and Gabby Murphy were the only two Dukes to play on that team. It was the third straight time Red Hook ended Marlboro’s season.

“This was a great experience,” Murphy said. It’s the first time, other than Gabby and Hannah. This is the first time any other girls have played in a sectional game. So, I think now that they’ve been here, we understand what it takes to get back, and what it takes to compete as well.”

The Dukes competed with the Raiders for most of the first half, and were tied after a layup by Emma Stoebling, made the score 18-18.

Then, the Raiders went on a run. Katie Boyd hit a layup and then hit a 3-pointer, starting a 10-0 run that gave them a 28-18 lead at halftime.

“All you can do is tip your hat to Red Hook,” Murphy said. “They executed their plan very well, and they knocked down every big shot they needed to hit. Every time we got some momentum, they just hit a big 3. Then, it’s hard to get going again.”

The Raiders were scheduled to play the Section 1 champion on Tuesday at Yorktown High School, while the Dukes head into the offseason looking to build on this year’s success.

“This is only motivation,” Murphy said. “Gabby continues to work hard. She had her ups and downs a little bit this year, as well, but she comes into the gym all the time. She’s working on her craft, and now we have five strong juniors coming back that are going to be seniors. It’s a bright future and I expect to be back here.”