Dave McLeod, head coach of the Portage Selects U14 girl's basketball team, is thrilled with how his team stepped up for a tournament in Winnipeg last weekend.

Coming as underdogs, no one would have believed the team would make it to the finals before coming up short and bringing home second place.

"The team did great. We're up against teams that are club teams from Winnipeg and all around Manitoba that have probably been practicing for months, probably several times a week," McLeod continues. "We've had five practices, so expectations were pretty low, but I think the girls stepped up and did much better than we thought."

He says the coaching staff was proud of how the team did, considering the little time they have had to gel.

"I look forward to working with this group going forward," smiled the coach.

Laura Pyn averaged 14 points per game in the tournament. The Oakville student says she was proud to see her team go as far as they did.

"I'm proud of our team for working hard and getting second place."

Pyn notes this is her first year playing, and she wants to continue to work on her shooting and defence.

"I go to the net, and you get lots of layups. My main thing is to drive to the net and hopefully get a layup, floater or pass it."

file photoDave McLeod, Laura Pyn and Scott Pyn.

Laura's father, Scott, tells PortageOnline that as a parent and former physical education teacher, it was great to see the kids come together as they did.

"They stepped forward and stood up. As a parent, I couldn't be more proud, not just of my daughter but even of the other players. There were kids from Grade 8 to as young as Grade 6, and you could see the growth through the tournament."

The Selects will look to build off this second-place performance and bring home a championship in the Winnipeg Minor Basketball Association this spring.