SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – On Friday, April 7, the Springfield High School Unified Basketball Team welcomed Tyler Boone and his Brattleboro Colonels for their opening game of the season. On this Friday before the Cosmos went on April break, the stands were packed with parents, students, teachers and community members who came to support the Cosmos in their opener.
Seeing all the fans in the bleachers cheering and supporting the Unified Team was one of the highlights of the game. Attendance for this game topped past competition. A huge thank you to those that came and watched the team have fun. Everyone loves to win, however the goal for this team is to always have fun, learn new skills, know how to play on a team, and make new friends. Winning is a bonus of the sport.
Players who have never played on a team before experienced that tonight. The Cosmos have been practicing and learning new things since March 3. Even though Brattleboro left with the 60-50 win over Springfield, the team is confident that it is ready for the games ahead. Springfield has some veteran players, as well as new athletes joining the team.
Senior Tim Jackson, a new athlete for the Cosmos, came out with strong enthusiasm with his rebounding, fast break layups, defense, and scoring. Tim ended the night with 10 points.
Freshman Sebastian Salls, with his strong rebounding, fast break layups, and jumpers, ended his night with 19 points. Returning sophomore Isaiah Short chipped in six points with short jumpers. Patrick Toner and Josh Graves each added four points to the scoreboard. Lexy Bills added three, along with two points from veteran Emily Toner and new athlete Alana Blum. Emily has a strong sense of the game in the paint, and is an excellent defender. With more confidence to shoot and the courage to go back up with the ball, Emily will be very competitive in her position in the upcoming games.
Leading scorers for the Colonels were #1 Austin Pinette, #12 Ben Stauffer, and #35 Thomas Bell. A goal for the Colonels, and the Cosmos as well, is to have everyone score a basket. For the Cosmos, eight out of 12 athletes scored. Keep up the good work team.
Thanks go out to Cameron Chiesa
and Jessica Martin for their support in refereeing and running the clock.
On Monday, April 17, the Cosmos will host the Hurricanes from Hartford, Vt. Tipoff is at 4 p.m. sharp. Then on Wednesday, April 19, Springfield travels to Middlebury.