The Wolfpack Basketball Club had a busy weekend at the beginning of July as they travelled to Calgary for the Stampede Showdown. The Yukon club had three teams competing in the tournament.

For the U11, U13, and U15 teams who travelled, it was their first tournament of the spring. Tim Brady, coach and, president of Wolfpack, said each team won their division and took home a trophy.

Starting with the U13's, Brady said they were dominant in their division and won all their games. The continuity of the team, Brady said, is just one of the factors that make them an elite squad.

"A lot of them have been in the Wolfpack for four years," said Brady. "They have been a collective and are very familiar with each other. They have grown together as a group.

"They performed very well and I was impressed with their approach and focus."

The training the U13s had received throughout their season came through in their first big tournament of the year.

"They handled themselves business-like," said Brady. "The training and the messaging showed in their play."

Throughout the Wolfpack Basketball Club, Brady said all the coaches try to build a sense of community with everyone involved. That sense of community will show on the court.

"Basketball is a team game and the more they play and build relationships the better team they'll be," said Brady. "Opponents try and take that away."

During their training Brady said they take a game-based approach to coaching.

"We teach from our perspective, teach them skills in the context of a game-based approach," said Brady. "We want them to recognize advantages. We teach them how to correct on the fly and learn on the fly."

The U13's were able to use this philosophy, Brady said, to dribble drive, collapse the defence and make the extra pass.

"As a collective, they have a high IQ," said Brady. "They had fun and had really exciting games."

The U11s, Brady said, were outstanding. They ended the tournament with a 4-1 record.

"They had close games but hung together," said Brady. "In their second to last game, they lost on a buzzer-beater."

The U11s played the team that beat them at the buzzer in the championship game and Brady said they made a great comeback to take the win.

"They were down for most of the game but came back in the final two minutes," said Brady. "The stands were packed and it was a fun game to be in. People were saying it was the most exciting game of the tournament."

After taking the lead in the final minutes they were able to create a six-point cushion to close it out.

The U11s are mainly made of Grade 6 players, and Brady said this was a great tournament for them to be in.

"It gave them a taste of a competitive performance event," said Brady.

The U15s have all come up through the Wolfpack and the core of the squad will be representing the Yukon at the Western Canada Summer Games in Swift Current, Sask.

Brady said the team won their first three games and all were very tight. The high point for the team was hitting a buzzer-beater of their own.

"The game was tied with three seconds remaining," said Brady. "We called a timeout and ran a set play and got a shot off at the buzzer. It was a highlight for them."

In their final game of the tournament, having already secured the title, the team played an older side, which was a good learning opportunity for the boys.

"That team shellacked us," said Brady. "The boys were really tested. It showed them they have lots to learn."

For the U15s, it was their first real competitive tournament of the season, and is a good stepping-stone toward the Western Canada Summer Games, held in early August.