In Saturday’s gold medal games, NSW’s under-18 boys clinched victory 63-57 against the Victorian Bushrangers, the under-16 girls Waratahs scored against their own Kookaburras, while the under-16 boys Waratahs were brave in defeat, coming back from 32 points down to fall 13 points short against the Victorian Bushrangers.

But in a Country Cup showcasing high-end drama, individual brilliance and nail-biting last quarters, it’s hard to go past the performance of the NSW Kookaburras under-18 girls team for a tournament highlight.

The Kookaburras defeated the Victorian Goldminers 60-55 in the gold-medal match, to go undefeated in seven matches.

NSW head coach Scott Balsar said the girls had had to work hard for their win.

“They had a really tough battle with the Goldminers in the final,” he said.

“They weathered the storm every time the Victorians came at them and, to their credit, they got the win.”

Balsar said it was a much-improved performance from all NSW teams this year after several sub-par Country Cups.

“It was a great effort. We’ve been working pretty hard over the past 12 months to rebuild the culture in Country NSW basketball,” he said.

“There was a big lull for us for the last couple of years where we didn’t feature in too many finals and the Victorians dominated.

“It’s been a long haul and a lot of work to get back to where we are.”

“To be in four finals and to win three is great, a credit to our staff and to the program we have in place.”

Balsar said that in past years, NSW didn’t have the will to make it out of tough situations.

“Three years ago, we would have raised the white flag and let teams beat us when the going was tough,” he said.

“We’re trying to rebuild the country culture with that never-say-die attitude.”

With NSW to name its state sides in the next week, Balsar said Albury’s Jacob Cincurak, McGregor Cameron and Montana Farah-Seaton had enhanced their chances of selection with impressive tournaments.

And Wodonga’s Dillon Thompson, who played for the Bushrangers under-18 boys, put his hand up to be selected for Victoria’s state team with a solid Country Cup.