Guam were victorious in the International Basketball Federation 3x3 Pacific Championships ©FIBA

Guam were victorious in the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) 3x3 Pacific Championships in Gold Coast, Australia. 

On day two of the competition, a host of teams were eliminated, leaving Australia's New South Wales (NSW), Cook Islands, Tonga and Guam to fight it out for medal positions.

After losing only once throughout the tournament, Guam were extremely confident ahead of the semi-final round, however, their Tongan opponents were also high on confidence following their one-point win over Australia's Victoria squad in the quarter-final round.

Tonga began strongly but, after some exciting back and forth action, Guam proved too good, going on to claim a 14-9 victory.

In the other semi final, The Cook Islands came up against an energetic and youthful NSW side.

With a spot in the gold-medal game up for grabs, the crowd were treated to an extremely physical clash full of heated exchanges.

But, after a gritty 10 minutes of play, NSW secured their spot in the final with an 11-6 win.

Team Guam claimed the gold medal with a 11-9 win against Australia's New South Wales in the final ©FIBA
Team Guam claimed the gold medal with a 11-9 win against Australia's New South Wales in the final ©FIBA

No longer in contention for the gold, both Tonga and the Cook Island were determined to not go home empty handed.

Both teams started brightly but unfortunately for Tonga, the experience within the Cook Islands was evident on their way to an 18-9 win and the FIBA 3x3 Pacific bronze medal.

Ahead of the final, both teams had only lost one game but Guam were out for revenge after their 10-5 loss to NSW in the pool stages.

The crowd were on the edge of their seat for the entire contest and, with neither side able to keep the lead for long periods, there was a nervy finish in store.

With one second left on the clock, Guam had a two-point lead and the ball at the free throw line.

With the wind picking up, the free throw missed the basket and landed into the hands of a NSW player who fed the ball out to his team-mate on the three point line.

The quick release jumper shot and scored but after the referee conferred with the scorer's table, the basket was ruled out of time.

Guam thus claimed the gold medal with a 11-9 win, and were crowned the 2016 FIBA 3x3 Pacific Champions.