It's the nature of competition: Somebody's bound to lose.

Ayla Brown knows that better than most people. She's just not used to being on the `` losing'' side, though it's hard to call advancing to the Top 16 in a national competition a loss.

`` For the most part if I work hard and put 100 percent into some thing, it usually works out,'' Brown said during an interview Friday morning at Pacific TV Studios on Motor Avenue in Los Angeles.

But despite her best efforts, Brown's long and impressive run on `` American Idol'' is over. The 17-year-old said that, simply put, she just doesn't want it to end.

`` Now that I'm going home, I can't get it back, at least imme diately, I know that,'' she said.

A day after receiving the news that she wouldn't be advancing to the next round, Brown talked about her `` Idol'' experience in terms of both what she gained and what she lost. `` It really gave me a chance to open up,'' she said. `` It was such a great opportunity to find out who I am other than a basketball player.''

`` Because I know who I am as a basketball player, and it was just really interesting to see the transformation, just in the sense that I never really see myself as someone who got all dolled up and performed in front of millions of people, and I just wish it wasn't over.''

Brown said `` Idol'' was the first time that singing really became the focal point of her life, and apparently it changed her outlook on the future. `` As I got further and further along I realized my kind of life plan was changing,'' she said. Brown says she now hopes her `` Idol'' experience will lead to bigger things -- including singing, modeling and sports endorsement opportunities, and a chance for her to bring greater attention to the women's basketball program at Boston College, where she will play basketball this fall on a full scholarship.

So just what was her `` Idol'' experience like? The inner-workings and minute details will, of course, remain in the `` Idol'' secret vault. But Brown referred to her time in Hollywood as living in a `` little huge bubble'' of sorts, a whirlwind of activity and attention unlike the daily routine of homework and basketball practices she's used to at home in Wrentham.

`` It's been a lot of rehearsals, working hard, working on song selection, rehearse, rehearse, rehearse,'' Brown said. `` And then you stay up really late and get no sleep.'' Brown said she got extremely close to her fellow `` Idol'' contestants and considers them family, though the judges remained at a distance.

There were no behind-the-scenes pointers or conversations over coffee with Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul or Simon Cowell, she said. The interaction was strictly limited to critiques after performances on stage. Brown also said the all-American image that `` Idol'' painted for her was difficult, if not impossible, to overcome.

`` They put that right out there from the get-go,'' Brown said. `` I think that hurt me a lot, it was so hard to overcome it. I can't help what my parents do for a living. I was just there to sing and everyone focused on my background.''

Brown's father, state Sen. Scott Brown, R-Wrentham, was by her side after the elimination episode Thursday night, as was her aunt, Callie Huff, but there weren't many words of consolation. He mostly just listened, Brown said. `` I just let it all out, I just bawled my eyes out to my aunt and father,'' she said. `` He didn't play the politician and say `hey, get yourself together,' he was very comforting.'' Looking back on how she made it this far, Brown said that even with all the potential distractions of being away from her familiar life of school, carpools, and basketball practices, and thrown into unfamiliar Hollywood territory, she somehow managed to keep her eye on the prize.

`` I made a pact with myself, I don't know if that's the right word, but I tried to block everything else out here and just focus on what's I'm trying to be here,'' she said. `` There's always certain pressures but I told myself I wasn't going to let that affect me.'' It's that level of focus that will follow her home. Truthfully, she said she'd rather be preparing for next week's show than making the trip to the East Coast for the final time, even though she'll get to see friends and family she's been mostly cut off from during competition. Any true competitor wants to win, even when the odds are `` American Idol'' slim.

But for Brown, the end of an `` Idol'' run may just be the beginning of something else. `` I just want things to skyrocket out of this,'' she said.

According to her mother, Gail Huff, Brown's family and friends have organized a hometown homecoming for her from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday at the Wrentham Village Outlets in the food court area.