THE Knox Raiders under14(1) boys team capped off a remarkable season on Saturday by winning the National Club Championships tournament.
The Raiders won the gold medal after comfortably defeating the Bulleen Boomers 76-53 in the grand final at Dandenong Basketball Stadium.
The Raiders jumped out to a four-point lead after the first quarter of play on Saturday, but it was their second and third quarters that set their 23-point victory up.
The Raiders outscored the Boomers 36-18 in the middle stages of the game and ended up cruising in the final quarter to a 76-53 win.
Big man Marek Toman led the Raiders with 18points in a dominant role while Jayden Hawkes recorded 16. Also scoring in double figures were Luke Hannon and Jarrod Eccleston, who had 12 apiece.
Head coach Dale Crotty was elated at his young team's success.
"It's a great feeling and I was just extremely happy for the kids.
"This team is a very special group. You tend to forget they are only 12 and 13 years of age, because they are so professional in everything they do and handled themselves extremely well throughout the entire week."
The victory comes after the Raiders recently won the VJBL under-14 Victorian championship title at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre.
Both Knox and Bulleen established a great rivalry throughout the year. Bulleen got the best of the Raiders in the annual Queen's Birthday Classic tournament, but it was the Raiders who got the upper hand in both the VJBL Vic Championship Grand Final and in the Nationals Gold Medal match.
The Raiders continued to exert their dominance during the week-long tournament as they overwhelmed and outclassed the best under-14 teams from around the country.
The Raiders proved too strong for a host of teams including Albury Cougars, Stirling Senators, Townsville and local rivals Dandenong Rangers.
It also recorded a comfortable win against West Adelaide Bearcats in their quarter-final and a semi-final win over Keilor Thunder.