The team that will represent the Yukon in mens basketball at the Arctic Winter Games in March went 3-1 at this past weekend's Road to the Gold Tournament, as they faced off against some of the teams they will take on in Grande Prairie.

"I think we had a winning attitude,” Basketball Yukon president Tim Brady said.

That attitude saw the mens Team Yukon capture three games to one at the tournament that spanned from Friday to Saturday.

Team Yukon beat Team Northwest Territories in their final game Saturday 86 to 66.

The team was coming off a loss Friday evening to Delta Junction, where they were overtaken by the Alaska team by 10 points, to finish up at 76 to 66.

Team Yukon faced the Porter Creek Secondary School Rams and F.H. Collins Secondary School Warriors, winning both games. Yukon beat the Warriors "handily,” said Brady, with a final score of 89 to 52. Brady could not confirm the final score against the Rams, but said it was similar to the Warriors' game.

"Every time you play a game you learn something about your team,” Brady said.

What Brady learned about his team at the Road to the Gold Tournament, is that they can score.

The coach said many players scored into the double digits with standout Logan Beamier scoring in the 30s in the final game against N.W.T.

"We play with a lot of intensity,” Brady said. "And I guess competitiveness.”

After the tournament Brady plans to work specifically on the team's free throw skills, where he saw one of the few weaknesses exhibited by the team last weekend.

He also plans to work on basic skills such as minimizing turn-arounds and getting more rebounds, the foundations of basketball.

"Those are the type of things that will help our team down the road,” Brady said.

This year's Team Yukon has big shoes to fill, with the Yukon taking the gold medal at the Arctic Winter Games in the last three out of five editions, but Brady said the pressure isn't being felt as the team takes every tournament as it comes.

"Every team is different,” Brady said. "Every tournament is different.”

Team Yukon beat Nunavut in the 2008 gold medal basketball game at the Arctic Winter Games held in Yellowknife, and came home with gold at the 2006 Games held in Alaska.

The Road to the Gold Tournament gave Team Yukon the chance to see what they're facing in Team N.W.T.

"We know what the Northwest Territories has, we've played them,” Brady said. The coach said the team is hard working and will only improve between now and March.

Also attending the 2010 games is a team from Russia, and possibly Greenland, Brady said.

"They all work real hard, and they all want to be successful,” Brady said.

He hopes to see improvement in the young men as they get closer to the Arctic Winter Games.

"In the end that's all we can do, is be well prepared,” Brady said.

The Arctic Winter Games basketball team is made up of players under 19, but this year's Team Yukon is all young men aged 17 in Grades 11 and 12.

Brady said the women's team is much the same, but a little younger.

Brady, who doesn't coach the women, said that team is in a rebuilding stage with a group of younger players.

Over the Christmas break Brady plans to meet with the team for practices and a few scrimmage games.

The team typically meets up on weekends to play together when the men have breaks from their regular high school basketball practice.

Brady said they work around that tight schedule to fit in practices here and there, and hope to bring the team to another tournament possibly in February, although no plans are finalized.

"We may try to get to another tournament,” Brady said.