LOCAL basketballer Tyleah Barr was a part of Big V basketball history on Saturday night when her Warrnambool Mermaids team won back-to-back division one titles in the grand final clash against Bellarine.
It was a monumental effort for the Mermaids in a high-pressure environment and they managed to execute a come-from-behind win, 64-58.
There was a number of contributors for the Warrnambool side with Barr making the most of her minutes on the court including adding to the scoreboard.
“It was close the whole game, we were down for quite a bit of it, and it wasn’t until the last few minutes where we really got up,” Barr said.
“We hit a couple of threes late and then got up by six and then it was game done.”
Playing on the big stage meant a new level of professionalism for Barr as well as huge celebration when the final siren sounded.
“It was so good, as soon as the buzzer went, we just ran straight on the court and were falling all over each other,” she said.
“It ended up getting locked out and it was so loud, all the kids were screaming whenever there was foul shots.
“I had so many people from Portland come over who were family and friends and when I got my name announced to get my ring everyone was clapping and screaming.”
Barr has been a consistent contributor for the Mermaids across the season but has been on the road back from an ankle injury, making her time on court count when she gets it.
For the season total Barr was fourth in the Mermaids team for points per game, averaging 7.19.
“I played around four minutes, and it was good, I feel like I had an impact and got two points – I feel like I used my court time better than I did in the semi which was good,” she said.
With the young player still finishing school, she said if she is still in the area, she’d like to go again with the Warrnambool side.
“Hopefully I’ll play again but it just depends on what happens over the next year or so,” she said.
Most valuable player for the night was Dakota Crichton who dominated on the boards, hitting 27 points for the match.
