When the North West CHS Boys' side opened its campaign with a loss last Tuesday, coach John Ireland was worried they were in for a long week.
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He needn't have been.
By Thursday, Ireland, assistant coach Matt Parsons, and the team were celebrating the history they had made together in Coffs Harbour.
"The boys scored themselves a gold medal, which is pretty historic," Ireland said.
"It's the first CHS gold medal in North West history for boys or girls."
After a one-point first-round defeat at the hands of Sydney North, Parsons and Ireland thought the team had "hurt ourselves".
"We knew then that we were going to be pretty hard up against it," Ireland said.
"We'd have to win every one of our other round games on the Tuesday and Wednesday to make the semi-finals."
In a moment of foreshadowing, the North West boys came up against South Coast in the final round game, and managed a narrow 11-point victory against a side that "didn't play very well".
So when they met South Coast again in the final, after beating Sydney South West 82-65 in the semi, Ireland thought they might struggle.
"We were very wary when we came up against them in the final," Ireland said.
"So to then go on and win it by 22 was a pretty outstanding result. They threw everything at us, and we just found ways. Tom [Parsons] was exceptional, he was a man among boys."
For his 28-point effort in the final, which North West won 78-56, and his consistency throughout the week, Parsons was named MVP of the Tournament.
"It's a huge achievement for a kid from Werris Creek who goes to Quirindi High," Ireland said.
"To go down and play against kids that are playing at a youth league level and have finished their junior representative stuff, to be named the best opens player in all public education across the entire state is a pretty massive thing."
The secret to their success, if there was one, was the team's cohesion. Ireland was immensely proud of the camaraderie they showed on and off the court.
And now, almost a week after their win, the immensity of their achievement is still sinking in for the veteran coach.
"It was a bit surreal, to be honest," Ireland said.
"It certainly wasn't something we expected, especially when you come up against some powerhouse regions like Sydney North and Sydney South West that carry a lot of Endeavour High scholarship kids.
"We knew that we'd be competitive, we brought home a bronze medal last year ... and I know that those boys will have that memory with them for a long time."
