The Mermaids claimed the B women’s title after defeating Jetvold 37-24 in Sunday’s grand final at the Arc.

Coach Lester Pickett said that apart from one opposition side, all the other teams played a zone, which the young Warrnambool side had to adjust to.

“Our offence was pretty scrappy early because the girls weren’t used to playing against a zone but it was good for us to learn how to work hard without the ball,” he said.

Pickett said the Mermaids could potentially come up against a zone at next month’s Victorian Country Championships in Bendigo.

Warrnambool only dropped one match at the three-day Seaside Carnival, succumbing to Tornadoes in their opening match on Friday night.

The team switched on after the loss, advancing to the semi-final where it edged out Lady Cougars by three points to progress to Sunday afternoon’s decider.

Pickett said the grand final against Jetvold was a see-sawing encounter until the Mermaids were able to break ahead, with a couple of three-pointers from Vic Country squad member Annie Blackburn allowing the side to consolidate its lead.

The coach said he was impressed with the girls’ defence on the weekend.

“We had to work hard against bigger and more physical girls,” he said.

The team’s next carnival is in Portland in a fortnight, which will mark its last tournament before the state country titles.

The Mermaids started training for the titles before Christmas.

The 2012 under 18 Victorian Country Championships will be held on February 25 and 26 in Bendigo.