SAINT Joseph's Regional College went within one point of gaining a result that would have put them in medal contention at the National Schools Basketball Championships last week in Melbourne.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
In the end, luck would play a part as they finished fifth.
Coach Jason Berry said their 11-point defeat of Westfields Sports High School on the first day wasn't the result they required by the barest of margins.
"We needed to beat them by 12 points and we only won by 11, otherwise we would have played off for a medal on the final day and it would have been either gold, silver or bronze," he said.
Little did they know it would prove to be the theme of the week.
"We weren't far off the mark," Berry said.
"All we needed were a couple of shots to fall for us."
The Port Macquarie school featured as the only country side in the top division of the tournament alongside those from Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales.
"It was pretty tight from third to fifth and we probably failed to execute under pressure," he said.
"Our best would have put us into third, but we lacked the confidence and individual skills at times."
Two years ago St Joseph's finished in fourth position.
"We couldn't quite get there again unfortunately," Berry said.
Throughout the tournament the girls were defeated by Mountain Creek High School Maroochydore (67-60), Haileybury Girls College (63-48) and Rowville Secondary College (64-16).
The team finished fourth in their pool, meaning they played Westfields to gain a spot in the bronze medal game the following day.
Berry said the girls started well and led by as much as 10 points throughout the first three quarters.
"Westfields made a late run in the fourth quarter and eventually hit the front with a minute and a half remaining," he said.
"Unfortunately, we were unable to come up with any baskets to close the gap and ultimately lost 49-46 to finish in fifth."