It was the most nervous Jenna Brockman had ever felt.

She and the Three Lakes Avengers girls basketball team found themselves trailing their rivals from Kenaston in last weekend’s gold medal game. It was the fifth time in six years the teams had met in the final, with each taking two games.

The tide began to turn at halftime, as coach Trevor Otsig made some defensive adjustments and Brockman aimed to inspire her teammates.

“We sat down on the bench and I said, ‘we can definitely do this, you guys. We worked this entire year, we’re not going to throw this away now. Let’s get back into it.’ And the intensity on the court just upped a lot and we were able to pull it off.”

The Avengers went on to win 60-43, with Brockman netting 23 points.

It was a gold medal to match the one claimed by the Avengers boys team, who defeated Lake Lenore 75-53. It’s their second championship in a row.

“The boys worked hard all year. Lots of dedication, practices, stuff like that. And in the end it pays off,” coach Craig Martinka said.

This is the first time both teams have won gold in the same year.

“I think it sets the bar pretty high for our programs here,” Otsig said. “It makes the kids set goals, work for them and work together as a team.”

The school held a pep rally on Wednesday to celebrate, featuring games and dancing and the players giving guests high fives as they left the gym.

“It’s pretty cool to have the whole community come out once again after everyone has been out at the games, to all be together to celebrate what the two teams were able to accomplish,” Brockman said.

“It means a lot,” said Troy Martinka, a member of the boys team. “The community is really small, so this is a big opportunity for everyone to come out here. It’s big not just for us but the whole community.”

Basketball runs in the family at Three Lakes School. Otsig coaches two of his daughters, Jade and Morgan, with the youngest, Blaire, keeping track of game stats.

He enjoys spending time with them, though he does his best to keep the basketball talk away from the supper table.

“I think it’s something I’ll look back on when I’m done coaching and retired, that I had extra time a lot of people don’t get to experience.”

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Coaches Craig Martinka, left, and Trevor Otsig.

On the boys side, Troy is coached by his older brother. Getting the chance to coach his brother was one of the things that attracted Craig to the position.

“Sure it’s tough sometimes, he gives me a hard time, I give him a hard time but in the end it works out,” Craig said.

Otsig has been coaching for nearly two decades and has earned a reputation for setting high expectations.

Former player Katelyn Bzdel said some of her favourite high school memories are of playing for Otsig.

“He expected nothing but 110 per cent from you. That expectation to continue to give everything to whatever I chose to do in the future has served me well,” she said.

Added Brockman: “He’s a really nice guy and understanding, and he pushes you to the limit - and obviously pushed us far enough to get us to win gold.”

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Students play a marshmallow-tossing game with the basketball teams.

Otsig said the key to building a long term, successful basketball program has been getting buy-in from parents and kids at an early age

“We have sports for our kids starting in Grade 4. And along with that comes a commitment that you show up on time, you put effort in, you work hard, you be a good teammate for your peers. And that starts down in elementary with all our staff and coaches and they instill that in our kids.”

He hopes the players are learning lifelong lessons.

“Winning is nice, don’t get me wrong. But it’s the process to get there. The hard work, the commitment, showing up on time, putting effort in, being a good person. Those are things that contribute to kids lifelong.”