With the game in a close tie entering overtime, the Unified basketball team defeated Roosevelt’s Unified team 60-58 in a clutch buzzer beater lay-up.
The game was intense, with both teams trading buckets back and forth throughout. Whenever one team would go on a run, the other would come right back.
Junior Prince James, a player in the match, described the team’s effort.
“They did good, they worked hard, what can I say,” James said.
In the final seconds of the fourth quarter, both teams had a chance to take the lead but could not connect, resulting in a two-minute overtime. Tied in the final seconds of overtime, McDaniel had the last possession with 15 seconds left. The first layup attempt was a little too strong, going off the backboard and rebounding. With time running out, Sophomore Muhammad Mohammad put up a lay-up that banked off the backboard and fell in for the game-winner.
Another player, Sophomore Micheal Olguin Moreno described the end of the game with only one word.
“Sick!” they said.
Head coach Andy Andy Clark enjoyed the victory too.
“It was super fun, everyone had good sportsmanship, it was exciting, and it was a good time,” Clark said.
One major highlight of this event was the amount of people that showed up to watch the game. The student section became packed as the game went on, and the students cheered the players of both teams on during the games.
“I think it’s cool, I didn’t expect to have the band here and the cheerleaders here as well as the dance team, which is gonna perform at halftime,” junior Santana Apocada, who watched the match, said. “So I think it’s pretty cool how people showed up.” `Many of the school’s other sports programs delayed or canceled practice to watch the Unified basketball game.
Clark also commented on the amount of students that showed up to watch the game.
“I think McDaniel has a really supportive student body when it comes to special education. It’s something that’s always made me like my time here,” Clark said.
Unified Sports is a program that is a part of the Special Olympics. There has been a statewide push to have Unified Sports in the PIL and other OSAA leagues. Some of the main sports are soccer, basketball and kickball, according to Clark.
“Individual teachers or counselors or just individual people at different schools spearhead it,” Clark said.
According to Clark, this is the third year that our school has had a Unified Basketball team. But this year has been the biggest, since more schools are forming teams around PIL and other OSAA schools.
“This year we all have four or five games and an end-of-season tournament, so it’s grown a lot in three years,” Clark said.
Clark shared before the game that Unified basketball is a very fun and positive experience for everyone, particularly the members of the team.
“You’ll see all the joy on these kids’ faces and see how into it they get,” Clark said.
With Unified Basketball coming to an end this year, Unified Kickball is coming back in the spring. Be on the lookout for upcoming matches this spring.
