In a close contest, the KIPP Academy-Lynn Collegiate (KALC) girls basketball team defeated the Academy of the Pacific Rim (Hyde Park), 53-51, at UMass-Boston Sunday to win the championship of the Massachusetts Charter School Athletic Organization (MCSAO).”It couldn’t have been much closer,” KALC coach Nat Jones said, adding his team trailed by nine with four and a half minutes to go.KALC has existed as a middle school for eight years, but this is the first year it has also existed as a high school, and it is also the inaugural year for the high school athletics program.Alex Huffman of KALC scored 23 points in the win and was named tournament MVP.”She’s our superstar,” Jones said, noting she converted three of four free throws with under 30 seconds left to put her team on top. “She carried us, as she often does.”Pleilerkay Gaye contributed nine points, Serena High had eight and Helen Maldonado had seven for KALC. Huffman and Gaye were named to the all-tournament team.KALC reached the finals by defeating Boston Prep, 42-26, on Friday and then overcoming a halftime deficit to stop Prospect Hill Academy, 42-25, on Saturday. All games were at UMass-Boston.Rich Tenorio can be reached at [email protected].