What was once an average, up-and-down season turned into the most enjoyable coaching experience of Chris Gaudreau’s young career.

And don’t forget the Bow boys basketball mentor is but two years removed from an 18-0 regular-season record and title-game run.

This year, after watching his squad play inconsistently, including a 3-5 record out of the gate, Gaudreau saw something special happen.

The Falcons won four of their last five contests, including a 67-64 upset on Feb. 11 of John Stark, which was 11-1 at the time and playing for the top seed in the Class I tournament. They also came within three-points of knocking off 15-3 Pelham on the road and finished the season with a 10-8 record.

And the strong play continued into Bow’s first-round playoff contest at sixth-seeded Hollis- Brookline. There, the Falcons soared to an early 15-point advantage. But – pardon the cliche – what goes up, must come down. By halftime, the locals clung to a one-point lead and played the second half facing a four- or five-point deficit.

The hosts won, 56-47. Tom Poitras led Bow in scoring with 16 points, while Brian Chergey contributed 14.

“I told the kids this in the locker room – that this group was the most fun I’ve had,” said Gaudreau. “In my mind, it was a very successful year, and I’m extremely happy with the growth of the kids and the growth of the team.”

Now, Gaudreau bids farewell to six seniors and welcomes back six others.

Among those departing are Chergey, widely considered one of the top players in Class I, and point guard Jimmy Fellows.

“Brian has gotten a lot of press, and rightfully so, and the other seniors (center Connor Heindl and forwards Marc Simpson, Devin Rush and Nicolas Sarette) brought an awful lot in terms of effort level, but Jimmy Fellows, who started every single game for us the last two years, brought as much to the court as anyone,” said Gaudreau of his 5-foot-11 floor general. “He may have only scored four, five, six points a game, but that’s only because that’s not what I asked of him. He took care of the ball, distributed it well, and played great defense. He deserves a lot of credit for what he’s done for us the last two years.”

It’s extremely difficult for the fourth-year coach to say goodbye to these graduating seniors; they all came into the program together.

“All six had a great impact on what I’m trying to do here,” said Gaudreau. “They helped set the standard and have continued to bring respectability and also integrity to the program, and I think the younger kids have learned from it and can now step up and carry it on.”

Gaudreau said he will build around Poitras, who has two years remaining with the program and has already developed into an elusive scorer, netting nearly 200 points his sophomore season.

Junior guard Michael Finnegan and freshman Connor Hill are also expected to play major roles next season.