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INUVIK - They arrived back home a little battered but no worse for wear.

Each of the three basketball teams Samuel Hearne secondary school sent to the NWT Power Corp. Senior Cager tournament last weekend in Yellowknife came up short in the win column.

Last weekend three basketball teams from Samuel Hearne secondary school travelled to Yellowknife, competing in Territorial Cager playdowns. Shown are the junior girls Inuvik Thunder. Though the squad came up short in the win column, they get an "A" for effort. Back row, from left, coach Meghan Etter, Jacinta Larocque, Robyn Rinas, Anita Shattler, Haley Smith, Marissa Kovacs, and Monica Bonnetplume. Middle row: Chelsey Elias and Brandi Larocque. Front row (lying down): Chloe Larocque and Paulina Burns. - Jack Danylchuk/NNSL photo

But Senior girls' squad member Courtney Larocque wasn't about to shed a tear on Monday, even after playing through a five-game marathon in less than 24 hours.

"I'm so sore," The Grade 12 student said with a laugh. "But we worked hard and we didn't give up. That's the best thing ever. We made them work for it."

So too did the junior boys' and girls' squads which participated in the three-day affair. Stacked with stiff competition, the tournament featured several host teams and ones from Hay River, Cambridge Bay and Tulita.

At times Larocque, who managed six to 20 points a game, said her team was overwhelmed by some of the talent they faced.

"It was really hard," she said. "Most of them were pretty skilled. They had more plays than us. They were really good competition. It was like they were playing since they were three-years-old."

After playing with the senior squad since becoming eligible, the cheery teenager said she'll miss not playing with the team next year. The 17-year-old added she'll have plenty of great memories, including placing third in the Senior Cager tournament a couple of years ago.

"We're all pretty close on the team," she said. "We always have lots of fun whereever we go."

Chris Church, 13, played on the Inuvik Wolverines junior boys' team. He said his squad might have been outplayed but not out worked.

"We tried our best," said the Grade 7 student. "We just have to work on our skills and dribbling and defence. But we learned more than we thought we would about our skills and workmanship."

Meghan Etter, an educational assistant, was one of four coaches who travelled to the tournament. With most of her junior girls' squad being rookies, she looked at the tournament as a learning experience. She said no matter how tough it got, her team, The Inuvik Thunder, never gave up.

"They kept their heads in the game," she said. "They listened really, really well. They never stopped trying. They were exhausted but they didn't stop."