Tauranga's Briarley Rogers is returning from basketball's 3x3 Under 18 Asia Cup with a silver medal around her neck.

She along with Tauranga-born Kay Phillips, now based in Australia, were members of the New Zealand women's team for last weekend's FIBA tournament in Cyberjaya, Malaysia.

The team went into the event hopeful of a top-four finish but went one better, making the final with impressive quarter- and semi-final wins over Iran and Indonesia before falling at the last hurdle against China.

Briarley says the feeling when they climbed the podium to receive their medals was special.

'Really good - considering no-one really expected us to do as well as we did. It was a good feeling that we were able to do it even though it wasn't expected of us.”

The team celebrate their semifinal victory over Indonesia

The tournament started for the team with a tight 21-20 loss to Chinese Taipei but from then on rode the wave all the way to the final.

A 21-18 win over Japan saw them through to the quarterfinals, where they comfortably dealt with Iran 20-13. They then met Indonesia in the semifinal and in possibly their best performance of the tournament were able to execute their gameplan and control the tempo of the game, taking it out 21-15.

The size and slickness of the Chinese team proved too much of a handful for them in the gold medal match, however, and despite fighting hard went down 19-12.

Briarley is stoked with how her game went, especially considering the limited preparation time the team had together. They met up for the first time four days before the tournament began last Thursday.

'I didn't get as many three-point options as you would usually in 5x5 but I attacked the hoop pretty well to get other people open as well.

'We pretty much met on the day of the camp beforehand. So it was difficult to know how everyone played together but it worked out well.”

Coach Justine Reed is praising the team for sticking at it through five tough matches, and says New Zealand has an exciting future in international 3x3 competition.

'I'm proud that our girls never gave up and competed to the end,” she says.

'It was great to have both of our teams in the final. I definitely think that New Zealand has a great chance to make a name for itself in the 3x3 world. I hope that this opens up more opportunities for our players to be involved in this exciting game.”

The men's team also made their final where they were able to turn the tables on China, taking it out 22-15 to complete an unbeaten tournament.

Tauranga City Basketball General Manager Mark Rogers says the results are putting New Zealand on the map in the 3x3 game internationally, and should help the teams make the world championships.

'It's a great result. I think the goal was top 4, so with the boys they're the first medals that we've picked up at a full FIBA Asian event.

'FIBA has a global platform everybody that plays 3x3 puts themselves into. The country gets ranking points for the number of people that are playing and their success at events and all that sort of stuff, and then they work out who's going to the world events.

'It's an awesome result and adds weight, it adds a lot of points to the total.”

Mark is happy that two of the four members of the women's team grew up and learned their game in Tauranga, and says Kay is still eager to be involved in basketball in the city despite currently living across the Tasman.

'Kay played for Tauranga this year in the WBC women's league and age group tournaments, and is still keen to be part of Tauranga city basketball.

'It's good that she's maintained those ties and connections to the city. We claim her as one of ours.”

For Briarley the focus now returns to completing her year 13 studies at Aquinas College before shooting for a basketball scholarship in the US, a goal a silver medal and an impressive showreel from a major international FIBA event can only boost her chances of achieving.

Tauranga-born kay Phillips in action against Indonesia