The Yukon's two competing basketball teams at the Arctic Winter Games (AWG) have a lot in common right now.

Both junior male and female teams are coming off recent wins to close out the round robin competition and each squad was able to finish high enough in the standings to qualify for today's semi-finals. Each of the teams is also vying to be in Friday's gold medal game.

"I am very confident," said the coach of the junior male basketball team Jamie Shaw. "I expect us to win and I believe that all the players on my team expect us to win. That was our goal coming into this tournament and right now we are in a great possession to accomplish that goal and it starts (today) with a tough game against Alaska."

The Yukon's junior male team have had an outstanding tournament so far. The team finished the round robin in first place with a 2-0-1 record, beginning the tournament on a winning note against Alaska.

Team Yukon won that game in a decisive fashion, by a score of 81-53. The team played very well in each of the four quarters, during their opening game.

After defeating Alaska, the team dropped its next game against the Northwest Territories by a score of 72-69.

This loss didn't faze them and the group was able to bounce back in the next and final game of the round robin, playing against Nunavut. The final score of that game was 86-73.

The boys' team play an up tempo style of game, which aims to put as much pressure on their opponents as possible throughout all four quarters.

Shaw said in every contest, the Yukon boys try to really make their opposition work in bringing the ball up the court. They also attempt to take them out of their preferred style of play as much as they can.

The team hopes their quicker paced style of play dictates how their games are played and hopes it results in forcing the other team to panic and throw the ball away, so that they can get more touches on offense.

At this year's AWG, the Yukon junior male squad has a few different goals it has been working towards. One of those goals is to play four consistent quarters, the other was to finish the round robin in first place, while the main goal is to win the gold medal. Finishing first will result in the boys playing Alaska in the semi-finals later today.

Team Yukon's junior male basketball team won the gold at the previous AWG and if the Yukon's boys' team are able to do so again this year, it will be a historic occasion, as no basketball team from the territory has ever repeated a performance as gold medal champions at the Games.

The team is so dedicated to achieving this goal that they have been holding video sessions after each of their three games played at the tournament to go over ways to improve for the next contest.

Shaw said the video sessions have been effective.

"It gives them a visual representation of what I am talking to them about," he said. "I find it a much more effective learning tool for them, but it helps me as well, so I can review what has gone on in the game because sometimes I miss a few things here and there."

Currently, the team is looking to improve the consistency in executing their offensive sets and they are still working towards playing four complete quarters.

Shaw said the group will have to be able to do both in order to win the gold medal.

"The competition is tough, there is no weak team here," he said. "Alaska is a relatively young team, but they have some experienced players as well and every game they play, they get a little stronger. They had a great game against the N.W.T. and the N.W.T. beat us, so we are certainly not taking this game lightly."

If the team does end up playing in the gold medal game, Shaw said he is confident about their chances of winning the tournament, even if it is against the N.W.T.

"We feel that if we get the opportunity to face the N.W.T. in the final that it is going to be a different result than what happened in the round robin," Shaw said. "We saw some things on video that we think we can exploit and the boys realize that it was more what they didn't do than what the N.W.T. did that really dictated the outcome of that game."

Shaw said it would be the highlight of the season if the team repeated a gold medal championship.

"For all the guys, this is why they are playing; this is the most important tournament of the year," he said. "There are great teams here, with some great players and we want to show that the Yukon players are the top players in Northern Canada."

The Yukon's junior female basketball team is also doing incredibly well and are coming off a close 78-72 win over Alaska.

This victory allowed the team to secure sole possession of third place and helped them avoid a semi-final showdown with powerhouse Team Yamal, who went undefeated in the round robin.

In the girls' first match of the tournament, they beat Nunavut in a decisive fashion. The team scored 40 more points than Nunavut and went on to a 78-38 victory.

The next game was against Yamal, Russia, who took the girls a little bit by surprise, scoring 93 points and limiting the Yukon team to just 61 points in the loss.

After a 47-40 loss to the N.W.T., the girls bounced back with the win over Alaska to finish the round robin at 2-0-2. Team Yukon will play the N.W.T. in today's semi-final.

In the final two games of the tournament, the team will look to improve its offensive capabilities by scoring more points and getting more rebounds, said team coach Diedra Davidson.

Davidson said she is excited about playing in the semi-finals and is happy the team was able to place third instead of fourth.

"If we finished fourth we would be up against Russia and they are a fast team," she said. "It would be very hard to make the finals against Russia. They are very strong, very fast and they are driven. By being where we are at right now, we have a better chance of making it to that next round."

She said the team now knows what to expect out of the N.W.T.

"We know what to do to beat them," she said. "If we do it is the question and that is always the question. They are a strong team and I think that we have the potential to beat them, without a doubt."

Davidson said she is confident going into tonight's semi-final matchup.

"The thing about these girls is they have the potential to make it into the next round, it is just a matter of brining their ‘A' game and keeping up the intensity," she said. "If they bring that game I have seen them play I think they have a strong chance at making it into the next round and even contending for the gold."