INUVIK
East Three Secondary School's senior boys basketball team is on a mission to get back to the territorial championships this year, and the first step involves a lot of pizza.

Tamara Bain, left, and Tyra Bain enjoy a slice or two at last week's pizza lunch fundraiser for the senior boys basketball team at East Three Secondary School. - photo courtesy of Deborah Reid

"It's been incredibly busy," said Al Gillis, one of the team's coaches, last Friday after the second fundraiser pizza lunch at the school.

"It's incredibly expensive to bring teams to Yellowknife to compete and we're working hard to make it happen."

Gillis and fellow coach Will Logan said they made about 50 pizzas and sold about 400 slices earlier that day, plus drinks and cakes. Everything was homemade and people were even calling ahead to pre-order whole pizzas.

"The response has been really strong," said Gillis, adding that students from the elementary side of the school as well as parents and other community members flocked to the lobby to pick up a slice.

The senior boys team won big at last year's Yellowknife Cager basketball tournament, bringing home the championship banner for the first time in something like 30 years, according to Logan.

The year before, they had made it all the way to the event final, only to lose in the final game.

"The boys have been working really hard, practising four days a week," he said.

"They deserve to go."

Organizers started with $900 in the bank this year and need to hit $10,000 to fly the team to the capital for the tournament in March.

Gillis said the idea is to make sure everyone on the team can go and not have it cost the players or their families.

"The more we can raise, the better," he said.

"Philosophically, I like that we can offer a product in exchange for that money ... there's no pressure, and it's pretty affordable, I think."

While Logan and Gillis did not commit to more pizza lunches, their success is undeniable.

"It's about the team getting back to Yellowknife and defending their title," said Gillis.

"They deserve to go."