PORTLAND has proven once and for all it is a force to be reckoned with in the Country Basketball League landscape with a convincing 63-40 grand final victory over Mount Gambier on Saturday evening at Horsham Basketball Stadium.

The Coasters got off to the perfect start in the game, scoring the first 12 points of the match to open up an early advantage, and from there they never really looked back.

While Mount Gambier was able to stay in touch at times with Portland, the Coasters continued to mount the pressure and prevent the Lakers from really getting back into the contest.

Portland outscored their opposition 35-20 through the middle two quarters, which proved to be the telling blow for the match.

Tyleah Barr was the dominant offensive force for the match, finishing up with a game-high 21 points – 10 more than any other player – in a performance which included four threes.

Barr – who was apart of the 2022 championship Portland team but did not play in the final due to COVID – had a sensational finals series, and she was named finals MVP in recognition of those efforts.

But the local star said it was an award which could have gone to any number of her teammates.

“It was a nice award to receive but its really a reflection as a whole, there’s so many girls who it could have gone to,” Barr said.

“It was a great feeling when the final siren finally went, it’s a result we’ve worked so hard for this season and really well deserved.

“It was awesome to have the chance to play in the game with all my teammates this time.”

Barr said their success across the season came down to the depth in their line-up right down to players who didn’t even get to suit up in the final.

“Our team has some pretty amazing depth, and its every one of those girls who has been a part of this success,” she said.

“It’s just as much (coach) Rebel (Noter’s) win as anyone else’s, he’s been a huge part of the team, especially the way he’s helped us throughout the whole season, he has so much faith in us and just gives us the green light to play our game.”

For his part, Noter said the game itself played out exactly the way he had wanted it to, right down to the team getting the perfect start.

“Right from the get-go the team was very disciplined on defence and able to force some turnovers… getting out to a lead early by scoring the first 12 points of the game really helped us get settled,” he said.

“We were able to get our bench in early which was really important for their confidence, being able to have them see the court and get something going early rather than having to wait until later in the game.”

On reflection, Noter said it was incredible to witness how far this team came from the start of the season when just three of the players who played in the grand final took part, and he echoed Barr’s sentiments on the depth of the talent on offer for the team

“It was an amazing journey, and it’s a credit to all the players who stepped up throughout the season whether they played in the final game of the season or not,” he said.

“With the number of under-18 girls who came through the ranks, I think it goes to show the strength of Portland basketball that we’re able to have this success.”

Lakers win a shoot out in the men’s grand final

Mount Gambier wasn’t going to go 0-2 on grand finals this time around, defeating Horsham in an extremely high scoring game 100-88.

Simon Berkefeld was the driving force behind the win, finishing with a remarkable 37 points while Tom Daly added 24.

Matthew Brown top scored for the Hornets who ultimately weren’t able to keep up with the frenetic scoring pace.