PORTSMOUTH — Portsmouth’s championship basketball hopes ended Saturday at the Ryan Center at URI — one in heartbreaking fashion, the other under relentless defensive pressure.

The Patriots’ girls team came within seconds of avenging an earlier postseason loss before top-seeded Westerly escaped with a 52-49 win on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer in the state semifinals.

In the nightcap, the Portsmouth boys — fresh off a Division I title — ran into a surging Barrington team that pulled away for a 53-38 victory.

Both losses ended Portsmouth’s season one step short of the state finals.

Despite the losses, both Portsmouth teams reached the final four at the state’s highest level.

Girls: One shot short

The fifth-seeded Patriots (18-5) matched No. 1 Westerly throughout a tightly contested game.

Portsmouth appeared poised to force overtime when Annie Hurd drove for a layup to tie the game, 49-49, in the final seconds. After a timeout, Westerly worked the ball to the perimeter, where Macy Antoch hit the game-winning 3.

Portsmouth had taken a late lead on a Haley Hurd putback, and Violet Silvia’s free throw helped keep the game tied in the closing minutes. Silvia led the Patriots with 12 points, while Hurd added 11.

The loss marked a painful end for a team that had hoped to reverse its earlier defeat to the Bulldogs — and came within a single possession of doing so.

Boys: Defense takes control

Portsmouth’s boys (18-8) entered the semifinal with momentum after capturing the Division I title, a path that opened when Barrington was upset earlier in the tournament.

This time, however, the Patriots could not avoid the top-seeded Eagles.

Portsmouth’s Nick Colantuono fights for a rebound with Barrington’s Alex Anderson during Saturday’s semifinal contest in the state tournament. Portsmouth, the Division I champions, lost 53-38 to the Eagles, who would go on to win the title the next day.

RICHARD W. DIONNE, JR.

Adam Conheeny Jr. led Portsmouth with nine points, but the Patriots struggled to generate offense against Barrington’s pressure.

Barrington advanced to the final and went on to win the state championship.

In the end, Portsmouth left the Ryan Center with a familiar March lesson: a single shot — or a single run — can decide everything.