On April 17 the Cosmos hosted its second unified basketball home contest against the Hartford High School VT Hurricanes.
The Hurricanes have been a favorite of the Cosmos, not just for the exchange of baked goods back and forth each year but for the kindness and sportsmanship the Hurricanes possess. This year, the Cosmos provided each Hurricane player with a goodie bag to snack on while they returned home.
The Cosmos took a 16-10 lead in the first quarter with buckets from Lexy Bills, Emily Toner, Isaiah Short, Alana Blum, and Sebastian Salls. The Cosmos are trying to spread the points on their team. This evening, they came close to everyone scoring. On a Unified team, witnessing your teammate scoring can be just as important as succeeding yourself.
The Cosmos bench cheered on not just their teammates but also their competitor with sportsmanship and enthusiasm. The Hurricanes are a top-notch team when it comes to pride, kindness, and good sportsmanship.
Coming off strong in the second quarter was senior Tim Jackson with eight points, along with four from Toner, two from Bills, and two from freshman Salls. Those buckets gave Cosmos the lead with 32-26 at the half.
In the third quarter, Springfield was able to hold the Hurricanes to scoring seven points versus its 10, which gave Springfield a lead of 42-33. First-time scorer Brianna Salo chipped in two points along with Patrick Toner’s two.
In the fourth quarter, buckets from Bills, Jackson, Blum, and Salls allowed Springfield to reign in the win. Total points for the night were: Tim Jackson, 14; Emily Toner, 10; Lexy Bills and Sebastian Salls, 8; Alana Blum, 4; and Brianna Salo and Isaiah Short, 2.
For the Hurricanes and Coaches Bushway and McDonnell, everyone scored. Leading scorers were: Kai Ahem, 10; Hope Duffy and Joshua Marandos, 8; Eli Weintraub, 5; Zoey Hossler and Wyatt Judd, 4; and Courtney Brock, Clayton Willis, and Asa Henry, 2.
Winning always makes the evening fun. However, this evening at Dressler Gym, there was more to celebrate for one young man, Blake Vandal. Blake made a prom proposal to Emily Toner with a speech, sign, and a dozen yellow roses—and she said yes. Have fun at the prom, Blake and Emily.
Points, rebounds, steals, and fast break layups can be exciting. But for me this evening, it was Rosie Leon’s attempt to score. She has been working hard at each practice to get height in her shot. Last home game, her shot hit the net, and at tonight’s game her attempt hit the bottom of the backboard. Great job, Rosie! Coaches Gultekin and Pinter-Petrillo are proud of the determination you put into practicing this.
This wraps up our second game of the season. Thank you to all our dedicated fans, and if you didn’t go to tonight’s game, you still have one more chance on Friday, May 5, when we host Burr and Burton with a 4 p.m. tipoff.
Note: Bob Fischer provided the first photo of the season in my newspaper write up on 4/7/23 against Brattleboro. Thank you, Bob, for your amazing photos and dedication to all Springfield sports teams. Thank you, Scott Renfro, for your continued support and Jay Clapperton for helping keep the book. Another thank you to veteran Unified player Morgan Fontaine. Morgan keeps the scorebook for the Cosmos and she does a great job. Thank you Morgan for your continued support.
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