Skippers Unified Hoops Wrap Up Regular Season

So often in athletics the final game of the season can be wash, particularly when each of the two teams entering the game has only one win on the season.

Wednesday’s unified basketball game at North Kingstown High School between North Kingstown and Middletown High was anything but – competitive to the final whistle.

“Every game’s a big game. Every game’s a championship game for these kids,” Middletown head coach Katy Woolbright said. 

“They’re excited to play, they’re excited to tell people about their scores, and not only that they want me to tell their parents. This is a chance for us to turn it into a learning experience, be like you tell your dad, you take ownership of what you’ve done and be proud of it.”

The Islanders ultimately got the better of the Skippers 36-33 behind their tough defense in the closing seconds of the contest in what was a tight game throughout.

“Every game is close. The athletes really put every ounce of energy they have into and they really battle right to the end, which is what we strive for,” North Kingstown head coach Peter Maroni said. 

Junior Haileigh Baier led the Islanders with nine points, sophomore Pablo Cortes added eight points and junior Kyle Novo scored seven points. Junior Spencer Bosche chipped in with six points, junior Seth Dane finished with four points and senior Ryan Leys had two points.

Senior Morgan Carroll, freshman Sean Breede and junior Michael Scales each played well for Middletown.

Middletown head coach Katy Woolbright was quite pleased following the game with how far her team has come this season.

“There’s just been a huge improvement from the first game of the season until now, and it’s just amazing to see the growth,” Woolbright said.  “These kids aren’t only playing better, but they’re understanding their actions and their consequences to actions, which they can really apply to life.”

For the Skippers sophomore Tyler Pellegrino and freshman Zac Brady led the team in scoring with 10 and nine points, respectively. Freshman Kerry Kardosz and freshman Brandon Hildebrandt each poured in six points, and junior Jaime Golden added two points.

Sophomore Leah Schwender, junior Ashley Kardosz, junior Dariyn Enriquez, freshman Colby Peltier and senior Charles Wolfendon also played well for the Skippers.

For both the Skippers and Islanders it is their first season playing unified basketball, and for both this season has been an extremely positive experience.

“This is the first year we’ve done it, and I’ve seen an enormous amount of growth in all of the athletes both on the court and off,” Maroni said. 

The focus in education over the past 10 or so years has been to include those with special needs in the regular education classroom as much as possible. The new unified programs, volleyball included, have been able to reinforce in the realm of athletics what many schools are trying to do in the classroom.

“In high school that can be difficult because of the graduation requirements and the content of the regular education classrooms,” Maroni said. “In this format students who might not be able to be integrated are able to show some of their skills, and show where they can excel. Where reading and writing might be difficult for them, they can show that they can be equal on a basketball court.”

Not only does this build upon what the students are learning in the classroom, but it also gives them an opportunity to show what they can do on the court.

“This is extremely exciting for the kids, it gives them an opportunity to play in front of their peers, it gives them an opportunity to showcase what they can do in a competitive environment,” Maroni said.

“We’re very grateful that the Rhode Island Interscholastic League and the Special Olympics came together to create this new program, and it’s really worked out well,” Woolbright said. 

While the regular season may be over, each of the two schools are looking forward to playoffs, which will begin next week.

“They don’t want the season to end. They want to continue to play,” Maroni said.  “For them this is a big deal, and you can see how exciting it was. The athletes really take it to heart when they win, when they lose, for them it’s important.”