District 97’s Special Olympics basketball team, which is comprised of athletes from Irving, Longfellow, Whittier, Brooks and Julian, finished another exciting season with a fun, hard fought game against the team from OPRF High School. In what was an incredibly close and highly competitive matchup, OPRF pulled away in the fourth quarter to claim a six-point victory. You can view photos from the game by clicking here.
Several members of the district’s team also competed in a Special Olympics Basketball Skills Challenge held at Hersey High School in December. During this event, which featured tests in dribbling, passing and shooting, Kenai Oliver and Eric Carter earned gold medals, Carter Jones and Mickey Renner earned silver medals, and Jake Brown, Paul Nelson and Sal Martinez earned fourth place ribbons. By earning gold medals, Oliver and Carter qualified to compete in the Special Olympics State Basketball Skills Challenge being held at Illinois State University in March.