LILY Newbould and Paige Younger think friendship is what had the Hawkesbury Jets under-16 girls on the brink of a fairy tale undefeated season, just a few short weeks ago.
The girls’ determination and skill took them only so far, the real gel to the team was how close each member of the team was.
The team was described by a number of people within the Hawkesbury and Districts Basketball Association as special.
It was not their talent, or their hard work that earned them that adjective, it was the fact they were the essence of what a sporting team should be.
They played for each other. There was no selfishness. And it worked.
Their undefeated run was undone by Glebe Spirit in their grand final match, but not even the loss has detracted from the season the girls had.
However, next weekend, the girls will have a shot at redemption when they contest the Waratah State Shield competition at Maitland.
Paige Younger said there was a simple reason everyone in the team got along so well.
‘‘We are around each other all the time and we are all really nice and it is easy to be friends with nice people,’’ she said.
‘‘We know each other really well and we are close and we know what each player will do on the court.’’
Lily Newbould said knowing what other players on her team were going to do before they did it, had helped enormously during the season.
‘‘I think it was hard work during the season [that made us play well],’’ she said.
‘‘Together we push everyone to work harder and everyone has improved since the start of the season.
‘‘Everyone likes to help each other out and gives each other tips and it brings us closer.’’
The pair said the team was ‘‘vertically challenged’’. In basketball where height is ordinarily a necessary commodity, the team had to find different ways to win games.
Younger said along with the bond the team shared, there were certain tactics the team employed to defeat its vertical challenges.
‘‘In defence and rebounds we try to box out, and in offence we try to use our speed to go around and under players to leave them behind,’’ she said.
The team will need those tactics in the State Shield, where they will face some of the best metro and country teams from New South Wales.
Newbould said the grand final loss had instilled a new conviction in the team.
‘‘The loss has given us more determination and the State Shield will give us some harder competition,’’ she said.
The State Shield will be played across September 12 and 13.
