Womens under 14 Mackay Meteorettes rank finish second in the recent National club Basketball competition in Penrith, NSW

The under-14 Mackay Meteorettes put together one of the best runs in the tournament, taking it all the way to the national final against Victoria’s Nunawading Spectres. Here’s how it unfolded.

Mackay’s very own Meteorettes have stunned the country’s basketball fraternity at the recent national championships, nearly pulling off one of the great underdog stories in the championship finals.

Going up against the strength of the nation, the defensive beast that was the Meteorettes went toe-to-toe for a national title against the Nunawading Spectres, tackling the entire championships with a true “have a crack” attitude, according to coach Ross Jensen.

Travelling to Penrith, NSW for the championships, the Meteorettes arrived with the intention to prove a point, and under the guidance of Jensen they could not have had a better start.

Claiming two victories on day one, the team breezed past Western Australian outfit Rockingham Flames by an enormous 41 points, only to then back that up with a 35 point smackdown of South Australian side Sturt Sabres.

Through the first two pool games Mackay was sitting firm atop of group F, and with Isabel Smith and Maggie Thorburn putting up 39 and 36 points each, the offensive structure of coach Jensen was humming heading into their final round match play against the Sydney Comets.

Mackay Meteorettes at the National Championship

Assuming the lead for the entirety of the match, the Meteorettes were pushed by the Commets, however the Mackay girls proved too strong down the stretch, taking the win and remaining undefeated heading into the semi finals of the competition.

Moving out of the group stages comfortably can sometimes mean a false sense of control, and can prove difficult at times to remain focused on the task at hand, but not for the Meteorettes.

With Smith and Thorburn still shooting the lights out, and Skye Vaughn in the post, the girls pulled together an incredible performance, dominating the Victorian side Norwood flames, and snuffing the light out of a championship contender.

Giving their bodies ample time to rest with a game day schedule, the girls then focused their attention on one of the oldest clubs in the nation, the Melbourne Tigers.

Confidence was key in this matchup, and with starting centre Vaughn traveling to Tasmania for hockey commitments the team needed to dig deep.

The Under 14 Womens Mackay Meteorettes at the National Championships

Having taken care of business off the back of an all-round team performance the Mackay girls were locked in their tightest battle to date, full knowing the loser would be packing their bags and heading home one game shy of a shot at the title.

Coming down to the wire, and trailing in the early stages of the contest it was Cleo Ape and the two sharp shooters who steadied the ship and rolled past the tigers, claiming a victory of seven points and booking their spot in the national final.

On the final day of competition at Hills Stadium there could only be one crowned the national champion, as it all came down to the Meteorettes and the Nunawading Spectres.

WATCH ALL THE REPLAYS HERE

The Victorian-based side was not going to go down easy, being one of the biggest and most notorious clubs for developing young talent.

In the contest, the Spectres jumped out quickly and for one of the first times the Meteorettes found themselves on the back foot, relentlessly chasing down the lead opposition had developed.

Mackay Meteorettes at the National Championship

Despite as much heart, grit, determination and will the Mackay side showed, they fell short of ultimate glory, going down in the final by 19 points to a very quality outfit.

This achievement is one of pure brilliance and tenacity, and the Meteorettes showed skill and teamwork beyond their years - now being formally and officially recognised as the second best under 14 basketball team in the country.

Not only on a team level, but individually with sharp shooter Smith the leading scorer and average point scorer of the competition.

“She's massive,” Jensen said of Smith.

“You always need that X factor and she was it for our team.”

When asked about who to thank for the team’s performance, the coach couldn't be more proud of the community support received.

“The support we got to go down there was unbelievable mate,” he said.

“It made it so much easier on us to get down there and get where we got.”