If the season opener is any indication, the Toll Gate and Pilgrim girls’ basketball teams can each rely on one certainty this year.

For the Titans, it’s the dominance of senior Hannah McNulty. She registered another double-double, notching 10 points and pulling down 15 rebounds to go with three blocks and three steals.

For the Pats, though, it’s that the inside duo of senior Crystal Armstrong and sophomore Caitlyn Fallon will be just fine. The two combined for 28 rebounds, just three fewer than Toll Gate as a team, to lead Pilgrim to a 50-47 win Friday night. Overall, the Pats outrebounded the Titans, 46-31.

Fallon finished with 10 points and a game-high 18 rebounds, while Armstrong fell just short of a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds.

“That’s just God-given talent and effort,” Pilgrim head coach Scott Bayha said of those two stat lines. “I think rebounding is an effort thing, not really a talent thing, and they both go after it. We did key on [McNulty] to box her out, but that performance speaks for itself. That’s pretty impressive.”

There was no shortage of drama down the stretch. Armstrong hit two late free throws to extend Pilgrim’s lead to 46-43, but Christina Barry connected on her second attempt from downtown to tie the game. Barry was Toll Gate’s most effective shooter all night, posting a game-high 17 points.

“I think she missed her first eight shots, but we kept telling her to shoot,” Toll Gate head coach John Paolino said of Barry. “She can shoot the ball. She’s our best shooter, she can get out there and shoot. She hit some big shots tonight.”

Mackenzie Hough answered with her own long ball just under the two-minute mark to give Pilgrim a 49-46 advantage that seemed to be good enough. After the teams exchanged turnovers, Toll Gate had the last possession with a chance to level the score. Barry sent up a 3-pointer that fell short, but she was fouled.

“They hung in there, they listened, I’m very happy,” Paolino said. “We played a lot more physical. This will go a long, long way as we keep going.”

She made just one of them, but Pilgrim’s poor free throw shooting outside of Armstrong (0-5 to that point) kept hope alive down 49-47. Kat Raposo was fouled and missed the front end of her 1-and-1, but Fallon collected the loose ball. She missed the putback, but Raposo came down with it and was hit again.

She made one of her two shots with .2 seconds remaining to ice the win, 50-47. Raposo finished the night as Pilgrim’s leading scorer with 16 points, seven rebounds and three steals.

“They’re those types of players that everyone loves to coach,” Bayha said of Fallon and Raposo. “It sets an example for the team. We said at halftime, ‘Listen, you’ve got to want it more,’ and [Raposo and Fallon] honestly want it more. I think the rest of our team is starting to get that.

The game was knotted at 24 heading into halftime, and it was the former ’Canes who did most of the work early on for Pilgrim. Fallon, Raposo and Hough scored 16 first-half points together, helping the Pats keep pace early on.

Marisa Giard and Barry were Toll Gate’s top threats in the first half. They combined for six shots that either tied the game or gave the Titans the lead.

Paolino said the goal this year was to get her more open looks, and she is already taking advantage of them.

Toll Gate freshman point guard Natalie Aloisio continued her improvement, posting eight points and a steal despite some early turnover issues. She and the other starters were forced to pick up an extra workload after Kelsey DiCarlo and Emily May were both scratched due to illness.

“Each time we’ve seen her play, she’s gotten a little bit better,” Paolino said of Aloisio. “She’s getting more comfortable with the kids she’s with, but it’s only the second game. She understands, she’s not afraid to go inside. I’m very pleased with that. She’ll keep getting better and better, no doubt about it.”

The Titans were outscored 6-0 in bench points, but freshman Sam Arnold chipped in seven rebounds to slot behind McNulty for the team lead.

Toll Gate goes on the road to Division I Cranston East at 7 p.m. tonight for another difficult non-league test. The Titans open up the Division III slate at Block Island on Saturday at 12:25 p.m.

Despite a close loss to the cross-town rival, Paolino was encouraged by his squad’s output on the court.

“It’s a big boost of confidence because [Bayha]’s got a pretty solid team,” Paolino said. “He’s got the shooters, he’s got the size inside. I thought Crystal Armstrong did a great job tonight. She’s worked really hard.”

Pilgrim begins its journey in Division II this Friday at Woonsocket at 7 p.m. The Pats’ first league home game comes Monday against Tolman, the team that knocked them out of the D-III postseason last season.