LOWELL – Toward the end of the regular season, as the St. Mary’s of Lynn girls basketball team began to struggle a bit, head coach Jeff Newhall changed the team’s approach to simply limit opponents to under 40 points. Enough offense would come to win.

The Spartans haven’t allowed more than 40 since, and they’re state champs for the third time in four years as a result.

Top-seeded St. Mary’s (24-3) maintained its defensive tenacity all the way through the Div. 3 state final at Tsongas Center on Friday night, using it to fuel a 46-38 win over a No. 3 Norwell group appearing in its second straight final.

Sophomore sensation Bella Owumi starred again with 19 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and two blocks in an absolute rock-fight, anchoring well-balanced St. Mary’s to restrict any of the Clippers (23-2) from scoring more than 10 points.

“The bar’s been set very high at the school, and specifically in this program,” Newhall said. “This is a special group. We set out to win everything we can, and we did. … It’s tough to put into words.”

“I think everybody’s really excited,” Owumi added. “I’m really excited to just celebrate this as a team and take everything in.”

Norwell played as gritty as it gets, securing 14 offensive rebounds, forcing seven first-half turnovers, and then limiting the Spartans to just six third-quarter points.

Freshman Adrienne Dowd (10 points, seven rebounds) and senior Reagan Dowd (10 points) kept Norwell in the game at a reasonable distance in the first half, and star senior Maddie Oliver scored four of her nine points in the third quarter to pull Norwell as close as 28-25 late in the third.

“I told our kids, ‘Listen, they were in the (quarterfinals), they were in the semis, they’re in the final – they’re licking their chops to knock the door down. If you think you’re not going to get their best shot, (you’re wrong),’ ” Newhall said.

While Norwell scored the most in the fourth quarter (13 points) than it did in any other frame, St. Mary’s delivered on too many clutch plays.

Juliana Conte (eight points) produced two of her three fourth-quarter steals early in the final frame, and nailed a 3-pointer a couple minutes before Lily Norton (five assists, two steals) sank her own to extend the lead to 38-31. Oliver’s post-hook with three minutes left brought the deficit to five points, only for Norton to find Owumi in the corner for a 3-pointer and a 41-33 advantage.

Owumi’s 14 points in the first half simmered to five points in the second half, but she was critical on the defensive end to limit Norwell. After the Clippers continued to chip away and trail by six with 18 seconds left, Owumi blocked a breakaway layup to eventually set up Reese Matela (nine points, two blocks) for a pair of free throws for the 46-38 lead.

“She’s been like that all year,” Newhall said. “Nothing she does surprises me. … She’s the key to everything we do, but we have a great team around her.”

Jill Roberts, Matela and Charleigh Green all played well on defense for St. Mary’s, having to withstand so many extra possessions Norwell produced.