INUVIK - This weekend the gymnasium at Samuel Hearne Secondary School will be filled with the squeaks of sneakers, the slaps of balls dribbling up the court and the shouts of teammates passing as the Inuvik Wolverine Basketball Tournament takes over Feb. 11 to 13.

Samuel Hearne basketballers, from left, Haley Smith, Euodia Mutua, Kanelsa Jade Noksana, and Caroline Kaufman show off their team spirit as they get set to play in the Inuvik Wolverine Basketball Tournament this weekend. - Kira Curtis/NNSL photo

The games begin Friday afternoon.

Teams from four different age categories will face off to nab prizes and status at the annual tournament. Fifteen-year-old tournament veteran Kanelsa Noksana knows a little about what to expect this weekend, and a lot of it has to do with meeting and sizing up new teams.

The tournament will include Inuvik teams, and athletes from Fort McPherson and Aklavik.

"You get to meet new people and you really get to challenge yourself in basketball, and like get really into it," Noksana said, adding the reason she gets really into it is because "basketball's my favourite sport."

Noksana has been deking up and down the courts since she was six. She doesn't have a favourite player or even a favourite team, she just plays basketball for the sake of the game.

The Wolverine tournament will have boys and girls teams in the 10 to 12, 13 to 15, 16 to 19 years old and adult categories.

Euodia Mutua, Caroline Kaufman, Haley Smith, Meredith Baskin, Merissa Mitchell, Davonna Kasook, Darcie Bernhardt and April Kangegana will make up Inuvik's 13 to 15 year old girls team alongside Noksana, but they don't know who they're playing yet, making it difficult to size up their competition.

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