The Hunters were virtually untouched on their way to becoming minor premiers then rallied in the fourth quarter of a tight grand final at Terrigal on Sunday to beat Illawarra Hawks 55-50 in a thrilling decider.

Hunters captain Sophie Kleeman was one of several Newcastle juniors in the championship squad.

“It’s amazing,” Kleeman said post-match. “I haven’t won anything before so it’s great.

“Most of the teams in finals this weekend have a few WNBL players, but I think what’s good about our team is that we’re just a group of local girls.

“We’ve been playing together forever and it’s just kind of clicked and I couldn’t be more proud of them. And what [coach] Mark [Gledson] has done, how he’s turned the program around in such a short time, is amazing.”

Kleeman and grand final Most Valuable Player Susi Walmsley have been playing together since they were five and both proved integral to the championship win, being on court for every minute of the grand final.

The Hawks were the only team who had beaten Newcastle during the season as they headed into the championship showdown.

The Hunters led 15-13 at the first break then 29-20 at half-time but Illawarra held a 40-35 lead heading into the final period.

“Susi Walmsley had the game of her life, I’ve never seen her play so well,” Kleeman said. “And I think our defence, over the past two days, was unstoppable. Everyone was so eager to win and that carried over in the end. I think everyone just wanted it so badly.”

Walmsley ended the match with 19 points and Kleeman and Alison Ebzery both contributed 10.

Kleeman said the signs were strong for Newcastle women’s basketball to remain a WBL powerhouse.

“I think we forget that Alison Ebzery is still youth league age and she’s one of our main players,” Kleeman said. “And we’ve got a few development players coming through and I think it’s looking really good for Newcastle basketball in the next few years.”

The Hunters men’s season came to a close on Saturday when they lost 64-59 to Sydney  in the semi-finals.