Yukon’s junior squash team showed a lot of fortitude at the Northwest Territories Championship, said Squash Yukon president Stephen Buckler.

The five junior athletes that attended the tournament all played in adult divisions and posted impressive results.

“The juniors really came out swinging,” he wrote in an email to the Star.

“[They] all played hard while showing a lot of respect to their opponents and referees.”

Playing inside a fishbowl, athletes have to keep their heads even when they’re losing.

“Squash really fosters athletes to have a strong inner strength,” said Buckler.

“If you are losing or not playing well, you cannot blame your team or fall back on them.”

Mackenzie Cameron, playing in the Men’s B final displayed a lot of grit as he “was being out-muscled by a 6’2’’ fellow,” said Buckler. “Instead of giving up, Mackenzie played calmly to the man’s weaknesses and won in the last games convincingly.”

Other juniors’ results included Maya Cairns-Locke winning Women’s D, Kennedy Cairns-Locke taking second place in Women’s B, Rannon Johnson earning second place in Special Plate Men’s D, and Ivan Johnson taking sixth in Men’s C.

Not to be left behind, the adults in the tournament also posted strong results.

Lori Muir was second in Women’s A, Terri Cairns was third in Women’s A, Michael Tillbrook was fourth in Men’s A, Cam Webber took fifth in Men’s Open and Buckler was second in Men’s A.

The results helped the Yukon recapture the Yellowhorse Cup, which the Northwest Territories had won at the Yukon Open last month. Yukoners were up 76-56 over the N.W.T in games between the two territories’ players.

The Yellowhorse Cup should stay in Whitehorse until it is next expected to be in play at the 2018 Yukon Open, where Buckler hopes to break this year’s attendance record.