GOING into her first national championships, Cambewarra's Asha Phillips would have been relatively unknown by hoop heads around the country.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
But that's not the case not anymore, thanks to her strong play at the recent under 16s Australian titles in Darwin.
The Nowra High School student and her NSW Country team opened their accounts at the July 6-13 tournament against Western Australia Metro.
Despite 13 points, four rebounds and three assists by Phillips, NSW Country went down 69-62.
But in true Country fashion, Phillips' side bounced back to win their next two games against South Australia Country (74-60) and ACT (69-45).
In their fourth match of the campaign, NSW Country were pitted against Queensland South, who unfortunately blew Phillips' side off the court, winning 99-56.
Country didn't fair any better in their fifth match, going down to powerhouse Victoria Metro 68-42.
But Phillips' side ensured they finished their pool matches on a high, thumping the local Northern Territory side 75-26 - with the Illawarra Hawks point guard contributing 11 points and five rebounds.
These results saw NSW Country finish fourth on the Pool A ladder, setting up a quarter-final showdown with South Australia Metro.
Unfortunately, Phillips' side had no answers for SA Metro's Jessica Simons (26 points), as her side we defeated 83-55.
This loss knocked NSW Country out of contention for the title, but they still had two more matches to determine their final placing.
Related content: Shoalhaven duo shine on court for NSW Country
Their first was against Queensland South, which they won 65-56, thanks to four points, six rebounds and four assists from Phillips.
This win saw Country pitted against WA Metro once again, with fifth place on the line.
Just as they did in their first game of the tournament, the two sides traded baskets for the majority of the contest, with WA Metro having the last laugh, winning 65-64.
This meant Phillips, who finished the tournament with averages of 7.22 points, 4.11 rebounds, 2.22 assists and 1.33 steals per contest, and her side ended up in sixth position - with Victoria Metro defeating SA Metro 89-71 in the final.