When Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts teacher Luke Cotter assembled an under 15 girls basketball team to contend the Combined High School Championships, he didn't quite know what to expect.
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There was plenty of talent in the side, with numerous girls playing representative basketball for the Illawarra, but there were also a number of girls that were completely new to the sport.
The girls, however, exceeded all expectations and continued to grow throughout the competition that started back in July.
That improvement culminated in the side earning a spot at last week's NSW Finals in Terrigal.
For Cotter, even making it that far was a big success. But then the girls went through the group stage undefeated and they dared to dream.
An 11-point victory over Alexandria Park in the semi-final followed, before Wollongong ran into a powerhouse Westfields Sports High squad.
That was where the dream ended, however Cotter said the second-place finish remained a significant achievement.
"It's a huge achievement," Cotter said. "There's more than 200 schools that took part in the basketball championships. To be second out of 200 is pretty impressive, especially for a performing arts high school with no basketball program.
"The girls showed a lot of improvement throughout the competition. That has a lot to do with the work some of the girls do outside of school and the quality of coaching they receive."
The Wollongong players gave it their all in the final, with the underdogs holding a two-point lead at quarter time.
Westfields hit the front before half time and they flexed their muscle in the third and fourth quarters, pulling away with the match.
"Westfields have 10 representative players, every player was quality, we only have five or six," Cotter said.
"We also had three kids that had never played basketball until this year and they all contributed.
"To walk away with a silver medal in your first year of basketball is pretty good."