It could have been the longest of bus rides, as figuratively as excruciating as it was literally a four-hour trek.

But the North Allegheny baseball team is content enough in its own skin -- proud enough of its accomplishments -- that it wasn't as bad as it might seem.

The senior-laden Tigers lost, 12-1, Monday to North Penn in a PIAA Class AAAA semifinal game at Green Township Park in Scotland.

The defeat ended the season -- and the high school career -- for the team and its many seniors (nine seniors regularly start). Still, the bus ride home was filled with music and plenty of good-natured ribbing and joking around, if a reporter's call to speak to some of the team's players was any indication.

"It was a tough loss," seniors outfielder Jackson Boyd conceded. "But there were a lot of positives to come out of this season."

North Allegheny completed its campaign 23-3, having won the school's sixth WPIAL baseball championship, the Section 1-AAAA title and, of course, reaching the PIAA semifinals. The Tigers had won 13 in a row before Monday.

"Of course it was definitely a tough way to go down," senior first baseman Brad Comport said. "But at the end, we kind of had a sense of accomplishment and we're pretty happy with what we did this season. We reached the majority of our goals. Of course we're disappointed we didn't get to play for a state championship, but still, at the same time, we realized we were WPIAL champions and won our section."

It's clear the Tigers took great pride in that section title, having taken offense to the notion that section rival Pine-Richland was the team to beat in the WPIAL.

The Tigers' previous defeat was almost six weeks ago -- April 23 to Pine-Richland. But North Allegheny also beat the Rams in the regular season April 9, defeated them May 27 for the WPIAL title and last Thursday in the PIAA quarterfinals. Pine-Richland lost only one other game this season.

"We stayed calm when we were the underdog and everybody talked about Pine-Richland being so good: 'They're going to take the WPIAL, they're going to take state,' " Boyd said.

"We needed to win the last couple [regular season] games to have a chance at winning our section over Pine-Richland and we did that. And our next goal was to win the WPIAL title, and we got there and we beat Pine-Richland, which was real nice. And then we met Pine-Richland again in the state playoffs and beat them again and knocked them out for good, ended their season."

That contest was the best of them all, going nine innings before North Allegheny prevailed, 3-2.

"[The ongoing battle for supremacy with Pine-Richland] was something we used as motivation," Comport said. "They were a great team, but we definitely used that to motivate us. We had some great battles with them."

Over the course of the past few years, the senior class has had more than a few battles together -- with Pine-Richland and many other teams.

Thirteen seniors are on the team's roster, nine started most games and just about all of them played major roles for the team. No fewer than eight will play in college.

And although many will still play together throughout the summer as part of an NA team in the Western Pennsylvania Elite Baseball League before they go separate ways, in terms of representing their school, the 2009 North Allegheny baseball seniors no longer will officially do so.

"It definitely was -- I don't want to say sad, because we'll all be playing for the same summer team so this won't be the last time we get to play with each other -- but it still is strange to think we won't be together much longer," Boyd said.

In addition to Boyd and Comport, catcher Matt Ludwig, second baseman Jeff Dassner, shortstop Nick Butterini, center fielder Jon Wilson, right fielder Dan Wentz, designated hitter Sean Oglesby, pitchers Greg Piehler, Max Mellott, Max Benner and Mike Zelik were seniors on the team.

Third baseman Justin Brozick and pitcher Ryan Oglesby are the most prominent players who figure to return next season, when they will be seniors. Brozick was one of the team's best hitters (he batted cleanup) and Oglesby and Piehler were the top pitchers.

"There's definitely a lot of talent left over," Boyd said. "There's enough with these underclassmen that I expect them to do very well."