AYR Storm's U12 girls on Saturday headed to Perth to compete in the U12 National Challenge.

It is Scotland's premier competition at this age group and it was a marvellous achievement for the squad to make the finals in the nine-team tournament.

The morning's group phase saw Storm paired with Tayside Musketeers and West Lothian Wolves. First up was the team from Dundee, and it was an encouraging start for the Ayr girls and after getting ahead early they built on their lead and ran out 29-12 winners. Guard Lauren Cooper top scored with 12 points, with one of two U10 players on the squad, Libby Entwhistle also getting on the scoresheet.

The win et up a group decider with Wolves, with the winner advancing to the afternoon's gold group. West Lothian were crowned the East Regional Champions in February, but Ayr were not overawed by their opponents and raised their game against a taller team. Tenacious defence from Abi Hay, including three points, kept Storm hot on Wolves’ heels. A sensational offensive performance from Louise Fisher (18 points) especially in quarters two and three, saw the scores level 27-27 moving into the fourth. Wolves strength started to tell and they opened up a small advantage, but the Ayr girls weren't ready to give up. Alix McIntosh, with a six-point run, dragged the score within three points, but time ran out on Storm and Wolves advanced to the gold group with a 37-34 win, which many called the 'game of the day' at the end of the tournament.

An afternoon in the silver group with Falkirk Fury and Inverness City Lions was the reward for Ayr's morning endeavours.

As they had done with their first game of the day, Storm started strongly against Falkirk and built up a lead behind a further 17 points from Fisher, and eight from McIntosh.

Grace Mitchell, who scored in every game, had her strongest performance with six points and some excellent footwork under the basket. Lowri Hulme also chipped in with a basket, on top of her usual tigerish defensive play. Youngster Rachel Fisher had a spell playing at point guard, and at nine years old is definitely one to watch in the future. A solid team performance saw Ayr take the win, 41-26.

In their first full competitive season with club, both Kate Andrew and Karys Perry put in good performances throughout the day, including in the final game against North regional champions Inverness. However, it was a game that Ayr were always chasing. Despite nine points from McIntosh, eight from Fisher and four from Mitchell, the girls found themselves on the wrong end of a 29-25 scoreline.

This ensured Ayr finished the National Challenge in fifth place, with their morning group opponents, West Lothian Wolves winning the title.

Head Coach Laura Nisbet was happy with the team's performance and said: "Every girl played their part today. We ran the eventual champions close, and are proud to say we've come fifth in the country. It's no more than these girls deserve for all the effort they've put in this season."