They were the ultimate underdogs as they took to the court last weekend at the national basketball championships in Vancouver.

Nobody outside of the Yukon, N.W.T. or Nunavut expected the territories' U-17 juvenile boys team to put up a fight. They weren't supposed to win a game. In fact, they were expected to lose all of their games by a wide margin.

But nothing inspires athletes more than a challenge to prove themselves, and what the territories lacked in experience, they made up for with a good work ethic and some impressive individual performances.

When they left Whitehorse after a four-week training camp, the U-17 crew was just aiming to outscore their opponents in one quarter.

They did that a few times and then finished the tournament with a nail-biting 71-68 win over Newfoundland.

'Newfoundland, that was an incredible game,' said territories head coach Tim Brady, in an interview back home Monday.

'We were up by 10 or 12 at half-time and I thought we might win by as much as 15. But then they made a charge at us in the third quarter. We pulled away again by 11 in the fourth, then they ran at us again and got to within one point.

'It went right to the wire. It was a great way to end the tournament for our guys. They played a lot bigger than they are physically.'

Whitehorse guard Sina Kazemi said the players from the territories were definitely the shortest at nationals, which he admitted was intimidating.

'We walked into opening ceremonies and we were just looking up,' he explained.

But Kazemi got the last laugh. He was fouled in the final 10 seconds of the game against Newfoundland and it was his two successful free throws that sealed the win for the territories.

'It was intense,' said Kazemi, who also represented the Yukon at the 2004 U-15 midget nationals in Halifax. 'To win a game was just amazing.

'We were a lot better prepared this time. We knew what we had to do in order to compete at that level. We were practicing eight days a week, so you get to know all the plays and all the players, where they like to get the ball.'

The territories played five games in total at nationals, against New Brunswick (61-88), Manitoba (57-76), Saskatchewan (57-104), Quebec (47-92) and Newfoundland.

Brady said anyone who saw them play had nothing but positive things to say, adding even he was impressed by the energy and determination they put into each game.

'Basically, one of our missions was to prove a combined team (from all three territories) could compete this year at the national level in Canada. We exceeded our goals. Mission accomplished.

'They had a respectable performance and then some. That's how we define success.'

While Brady was pleased with the performance of every player on the team, he pointed to a few guys who really led them throughout the tournament.

Iqualuit's Sam Carter led the entire tournament in rebounds (he had 59 total, 19 in the game against Newfoundland alone) and was named to the second All-Star team.

'Considering there were 6'11 players out there, he was impressive,' said Kazemi of teammate Carter, who was the tallest player for the territories at 6'6.

Carter returned the compliment to Kazemi, who led the team in scoring and was in the top 10 in tournament scoring, with 76 points. He also led the tournament in steals.

'Sina stepped up and really showed he could play at that level,' stated Carter.

Robin Cunningham and Tim Beaver, both from Whitehorse, also had some great games, and fellow Yukoner Tony Nguyen impressed everybody as one of the youngest players in the juvenile category at nationals.

Nguyen is going into Grade 10 this year while most of the players he was up against in Vancouver, as well as his teammates, are headed into Grade 12.

'Everybody did their part,' said Carter. 'Tony's still got another two years at nationals. He's got big things in store for him for sure.'

Asked about his All-Star nod, Carter said he kind of had a feeling he might be named, just because of his conversations with other coaches at the event, but didn't want to get his hopes up.

'It's great to get that kind of recognition. All the hard work pays off.

'I felt proud to be from the territories.'

Carter also gave credit for the team's performance to the coaching staff, which included Brady, assistant Jamie Shaw and assistant Al Beaver, all three of whom are from Whitehorse.

'The coaches were awesome. Coach Brady, you can tell he's been in the game for so long. He definitely knows what he's talking about. Coach Shaw knows how to make people push themselves, he knows what they're capable of doing and gets them to do it.'

Carter said the team melded together extremely well for nationals, thanks in large part to the training camp in July.

The decision to combine the territories for one team is one the forward said he'll always be grateful for, since Nunavut wouldn't have sent a team on its own.

He said the entire summer, including his time in Whitehorse where he stayed with the Beaver family, was an incredible experience.

'It was a blast. I wouldn't take it back for the world. It's a shame I can't do it again (this was his last year of eligibility for juvenile nationals). Even if there wasn't nationals, just going to Whitehorse would have been a great time in itself. But to get to go to nationals too ... it was amazing.'

It also opened a lot of doors for Carter, who has always dreamed of playing university or college basketball.

After his performance in Vancouver, Carter was approached by numerous university and college coaches who expressed their interest in acquiring him.

Before he went to nationals, Carter had talked about trying his luck at Carleton, which has had the top basketball program in the country for the past decade. But now, he says, he's thinking about going a different route.

It's likely he wouldn't get much playing time with the (Carleton) Ravens, especially as a rookie, so he's looking at a few other schools where he would have a better chance of regularly hitting the court.

'I'll be working in the weight room and gym all this year (in Iqualuit) and I need to decide what university I'm going to go to. A few of the coaches I talked to were offering academic and sports scholarships, inviting me for a campus tour. Some of the schools look really good.

'I need to talk to my parents and coaches here and see what would be best for me.'

As for Kazemi, he'll join a few of his fellow Yukoners at a high performance camp in either B.C. or Alberta within the next month.

He also hopes to play college or university ball after he graduates, although he's not sure exactly where yet.

'There were a lot of scouts (at nationals) so I just tried to do my best and impress them as much as I could. My coaches from here told me a few people (from colleges and universities) were asking about me, so we'll see what happens.'