WATERVILLE — Jessica Bowen felt the fire this season.

Bowen, the Lewiston girls’ tennis team’s top player, was one of her team’s top doubles players a year ago. She made the shift to singles, and immediately began to face some of the state’s top players.

Though she lost her fair share of those matches — four times to Brunswick’s Maisie Silverman — that experience made her a better all-around player.

Armed with that confidence, Bowen parlayed her patience into her biggest victory of the season, taking out Scarborough’s Jenna Posey 6-1, 6-1 at No. 1 singles to clinch for the Blue Devils a sixth consecutive Class A girls’ state championship at Colby College on Saturday.

“There’s nothing more rewarding than this,” Bowen said. “Even though I played Maisie four times and lost all four, she made me such a better player. When I got here today, I was ready. When (Posey) hit hard, I knew how to react to it, because I’ve been playing someone who hits hard all season.”

Even Lewiston coach Anita Murphy, who just completed her 33rd season at the program’s helm, was at a loss for words.

“Six in a row, it’s amazing,” Murphy said. “I mean, it really is. People have been coming up and talking about it, that we were back here and we had a chance at another one. It’s really amazing, and I’m really happy for the girls.”

In the Eastern final against Brunswick, the Blue Devils’ second doubles tandem of Paige LeBlond and Courtney Aldrich was the linchpin. Having fallen three times previously at that position to the Dragons, LeBlond and Aldrich rebounded with a big match victory to help Lewiston reach the state final.

Saturday, they breezed by Laura Flewelling and Christina Bilodeau 6-1, 6-1, putting the Devils on the board early.

“They played great, and they were really aggressive,” Murphy said. “I like seeing them get more confident in their game.”

After a gritty first set, Brittany Martin and Kirsty Beachesne fought off Cortney Hughes and Maria Philbrick at No. 1 doubles 7-6 (5), 6-1 to set the stage for Bowen’s clincher.

“My girls should really be proud of making it here,” Scarborough coach Lincoln MacIsaac said. “They’ve done things well all season, done what we’ve taught and improved. Things just didn’t break our way today.”

Bowen jumped skyward as the ball touched down with the final point of her match against Posey.

“After going from first doubles to first singles, and to be able to clinch the title as a senior, I don’t think there’s anything I wanted more.”

Anny Blaisdell then knocked out Fernanda Delboni in the most hotly-contested all-around match of the morning, winning 6-4, 6-3 at No. 2 singles.

Becca Lessard, often the first player off the court for Lewiston as the third singles player, found herself alone on the court with the match well in hand on Saturday.

“It was a little unusual to have all eyes on me for once,” Lessard said. “I don’t mind, though.”

Lessard’s win capped an unbeaten season, and kept alive an unbeaten streak that stretches back to her freshman season as a doubles player. She’s also one of three players on the varsity squad — Bowen and Beauchesne are the others — who have captured two state titles this season. The three girls were also among those on the Lewiston state cheerleading championship squad.

But Saturday, the celebration, and the cheering, was all about tennis.

“They’re probably the best girls’ program in the last 15 years in the state,” MacIsaac said. “To win six in a row, you just don’t do that. If we’re going to lose, we’ll lose to Lewiston, I guess.”

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