The Goulburn Bears Under 12s Girls side completed a dream run over the weekend as they claimed victory in the Waratah Southern Junior League grand final.
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The Bears narrowly qualified for the finals by one point, and were, at fourth, the lowest-ranked team remaining in the Division Two competition.
But that did not stop them from beating the third-placed Canberra Nationals Gold (33-30) in the semi-final and the second-placed Moss Vale Magic (45-40) in the preliminary final, en route to the grand final against first-placed Albury Cougars White.
Goulburn's 30-25 win in the final was a huge result for the young women, who Bears committee member Andrew Stewart praised for their team spirit.
"That was great, if I had to pick one team to win it was probably them," Stewart said.
"They're a great team, in terms of how they come together. And not just the kids, but the parents too. Most of them are new to the rep scene, so it's great to see a lot of new faces out there too."
Stewart also commended the efforts of team coach, Jess Edmonds, who was completely new to the role but took to it quickly.
"A lot of credit has to go to Jess, too, because she was a rookie coach," he said.
"She was a local player who put her hand up, and throughout the season I think she learned as much as the kids did. She knew we were there to support her and wasn't afraid to ask questions when she needed to."
The Under 12s Girls were one of three Goulburn teams to make the finals of their respective Southern Junior League divisions.
The Under 18s Boys and Under 18s Girls also qualified, but were less fortunate than their younger counterparts.
The older girls struggled in the semi-final, which they lost 77-38 against the Canberra Nationals, and the preliminary final, which they narrowly won against the Albury Cougars.
The final, which was another match against the Nationals earlier today, was a much closer battle than the 77-51 score suggests.
"It was pretty even in the first quarter, then it got out to double figures after that," Stewart said.
"It got out to 20 points, then we got it back to 14 points, then we let it get to 20 points again and got it back to 14.
"Then at the end of the game it blew out to 26 points."
Though disappointed by the loss, Stewart gave Canberra full credit and said their shooting was particularly impressive.
Meanwhile, the Under 18 Boys had the shortest finals run of the Bears' three teams, as they lost 72-65 against the Albury Cougars in the semi-finals.
This win was particularly disheartening to the Bears, not for the result, but that only six players were available to play.
Regardless, the competition in its entirety was positive for Goulburn, and showed the association that the next crop of talented young basketballers is on its way.
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