Down by one point in overtime, a victory seemed impossible for the Pan Northern squad.

They had missed two free throws moments before, only to watch Newfoundland subsequently drain a basket at the other end to take the lead.

Now with just a few seconds left on the clock, Tony Nguyen got the ball.

'I knew I was going to take the last shot,' stated Nguyen, in an interview Thursday. 'There were two guys defending me. I just pulled up and shot, and it went in with less than one second left.

'It was probably the best feeling I've ever had.'

The final score was 89-88 for the territorial team, which was made up of players from the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut. With the win against Newfoundland, they recorded their best performance in history at the U-17 juvenile boys' Canadian national basketball championships.

In the round-robin portion of the championships earlier in the week, the territories also defeated Prince Edward Island, finishing in ninth place with a record of 2-4.

This year's event was held in Sherbrooke, Que.

'We really accomplished everything we hoped to,' said Tim Brady, head coach of the crew. 'For us to get that second victory was awesome.

'This is a big deal for us.'

Heading into nationals, the Pan Northern team was well aware they were up against stiff competition. By Brady's own admission, they were 'size-challenged,' with just a couple of the players measuring over six feet.

With two 15-year-olds on their roster and four 16-year-olds, they were also short on experience.

'I really tried to make a concerted effort through the entire preparation phase of not dwelling on how small we were,' said Brady. 'I really tried to focus on what we wanted to do.

'I didn't know how it was going to go, but I didn't think about how or if. I just convinced those kids we could do it. A lot of it is a matter of belief.'

Brady said the squad played hard against every opponent, no matter what the score.

They opened the tournament with a 96-53 loss to Saskatchewan, followed by a 97-28 loss at the hands of British Columbia. The coach said his troops regrouped and came out strong on the second day of competition.

'We played P.E.I. and won 81-69. We shot the ball well, took care of what we needed to do.'

Up next was Alberta, and the territories fell 95-39. Against Nova Scotia, it was a much closer battle, but they still found themselves on the wrong end of an 86-46 score.

Finishing the round-robin at 1-4, the Pan Northern team was scheduled for a crossover game against Newfoundlandthe team they had recorded their only victory against at the 2006 juvenile nationals.

'They were not wanting to lose another one to us,' said Brady. 'But we jumped on them early and managed to maintain a lead at the half. Then they got a big run on us and went up by ten points. We managed to tie it up in the fourth quarter and send it to OT.

'It was certainly a game that could have gone either way. It was a thriller.'

Nguyen called his experience at the championships 'amazing,' pointing out the team exceeded its original goal of a win aginst P.E.I. In his second year at the event, the Whitehorse athlete said the additional experience was very beneficial for him.

It showed on the court, as Nguyen finished in the top 10 in tournament scoring, and also lead the entire tournament in assists.

'I felt like I belonged there, playing with those guys,' he said.

Brady said there were certainly some strong individual performances for the territorial team, from Nguyen, Yellowknife's Quincy Jones, and the Yukon's Logan Gray. Jones finished in the top 20 for rebounding at the tournament and posted some big baskets.

Gray also represented the territory at the Western Canada Summer Games in Sherwood Park earlier this month. He and Jamie Shaw, coach of the Games team and assistant coach at nationals, flew to Sherbrooke once the competition in Alberta was over.

'Logan was a big factor,' stated Brady. 'He ended up spraining his ankle and couldn't play in the last game, but he did great for us.'

'I was very impressed with Logan,' added Nguyen. 'He wasn't scared. He rebounded for us really well and scored big buckets when we needed them. He's only 15 and he played very well until he injured himself.

'That was a big loss for our team, so that last victory was for Logan Gray.'

It was their speed and physical play that really helped the territorial team pull together and finish the tournament on a high note, said Nguyen.

'Our entire team really stayed together well and supported one another,' agreed Brady. 'We were small, but we didn't play tiny. We hustled like crazy.'

It's the second year that the three territories combined their top basketball athletes to form a squad to represent the North at nationals.

This year's team was composed of one player from Nunavut, three from the N.W.T. and eight from the Yukon.

Nguyen said he hopes to take the confidence he gained in Sherbrooke and apply it to the upcoming basketball season in Whitehorse. He'll play high school ball as well as try out for the 2008 Arctic Winter Games male basketball team.

'I can play with most of the guys in the country our age. I've seen the best, so now I can play even harder here.'

Meanwhile, the territories also sent a representative to the U-17 juvenile girls' national championships in Vancouver.

The girls opened the event with a 121-24 loss to British Columbia, followed by an 88-23 loss to Nova Scotia.

On the second day of action, the Northern squad fell 87-27 to New Brunswick and then closed out the round-robin with a 79-44 loss to Newfoundland.

The territories will play Manitoba today in the crossover game for ninth place.