LOWELL — The top-ranked Bishop Fenwick girls basketball team survived a late scare by No. 2 Pittsfield to capture the Division 3 state championship 49-44 at the Tsongas Center.

Clinging to a slim 47-44 lead with a minute to play, senior captain Celia Neilson — as she has all season — showed nerves of steel, draining two free throws with eight seconds to go to dash any hopes the Generals had of stealing it.

The win came nearly 10 years to the day of the Crusaders’ first state title.

Neilson finished with another double-double with a game-high 19 points and 18 rebounds, along with four assists. Senior captain Caitlin Boyle also posted a double-double with 13 points, 12 rebounds, and a block.

Abby Jenkins played a key role in this one, canning two well-timed 3-pointers in the second half to finish with nine points.

When asked how he felt about winning a second title in 10 years, Crusaders’ coach Adam DeBaggis didn’t have to search for the right words.

“It feels great,” he said. “There’ve been ups and downs along the way. Everybody really cares a lot about our program, even extended families. It’s been a pretty long journey, so it’s been really sweet. In the end, it came down to guts and all of the girls made plays. As they say, defense wins championships.”

The Crusaders set the tone in the first quarter, holding the high-flying Generals, who came in averaging more than 60 points per game in the postseason, to just one basket in the first quarter.

Trailing 11-5, the Generals flipped the script in the second, taking advantage of a significant edge at the free-throw line (7-of-8) to outpace — and outrun — the Crusaders by an 18-5 edge to make it 23-23 at halftime.

The pendulum swung back to Fenwick in the third quarter, but not until Pittsfield took its first lead after a steal and layup from Caprese Conyers (7 points) and a pair of free throws from Kyana Summers made it 27-23.

It was all Fenwick after that, which went on a 13-0 run heading into the final quarter with its largest lead of the game, 41-29.

Neilson got the party started with a power drive and bucket to regain the lead for the Crusaders, 30-29. Jenkins followed with a triple, then, after a steal by Reese Spurchise, Neilson made a pretty spinning layup to bump the lead to 35-29. A couple of Boyle free throws, an offensive putback by Neilson, and a Spurchise steal and layup capped the run with less than 10 ticks on the clock.

The Generals, however, simply wouldn’t go away. They went on an 8-2 run late in the quarter to make it a one-possession game at 47-44 with a minute to play, but that was as close as they got.

DeBaggis said he knew Jenkins was going to have a big game.

“I talked to her yesterday at practice. She definitely doesn’t really believe how good she is and how good a season she’s had, so it was great to see what she did today.”

After Fenwick’s school-wide postseason suspension two years ago, DeBaggis said he had a little help from the members of that team.

“We were upset that the team never had a chance to show they were one of the best teams in the state,” he said. “But this is what it’s all about — to put that final nail in the coffin, the final stamp on what happened, so it means a lot. I actually put the names of those girls on my clipboard and texted them and told them they were with us.”

Neilson said the Crusaders’ defense was clutch.

“We just kept saying, ‘go, go, go,’ even after we fell back a little in that second quarter,” Neilson said. “We may have been nervous at times, but nerves don’t really affect defense. One hundred percent, our motto has been: defense is all heart. I’m proud of what we were able to do today.”

Boyle said she was proud of the way the Crusaders played in crunch time.

“I feel like we were really nervous, especially at the start, but when it got hard, we all got together. We just did what we do.”

Jenkins had high praise for Neilson.

“It’s such a rush. We work so hard on our defense every day,” Jenkins said. “Celia finishes every game so hard. She plays the right way, like she did today.”

DeBaggis highlighted the defensive efforts of senior captain Brittney Figulski (4 points, 2 rebounds) and Neilson, who picked up her third foul with about three minutes to play in the second quarter.

“Celia probably could have been called for a couple of other fouls on reaches, but she did a great job,” he said. “She has taken 22-25 charges this year and had another one today. It’s wild. And Brittney is so strong defensively and had a great game. She is every coach’s dream. She works so hard and is wicked coachable.”

Figulski said she will miss fellow seniors Neilson and Boyle.

“Defense has always been the key element for us,” she said. “But to play with those two girls who are my best friends meant so much. I’ve spent every day with them the last three months and know they are so dedicated.”

While families, friends and players enjoyed a joyous celebration following the game, DeBaggis was treated to an ice water bath.

“That was so much fun,” Figulski said. “You had to like that water victory.”