On Tuesday, October 21, Haven’s Unified Basketball competed with the Villanova Police Academy. The night offered an exciting game as both teams were scoring, playing defense and having fun.
The night began with junior Adam Zdilla singing the national anthem with Mrs. Kim Durnell.
Zdilla was one of the lead scorers of the game. “I wanted to keep doing it [playing] so I could make my fans even more happy and so they can give me more respect,” he said.
The game also provided a play-by-play announcer, principal Mr. Andrew Benzing. His supportive comments and energy added to the positive environment.
“I think if you watch closely at what the teams are doing — a lot of teamwork, a lot of looking out for each other,” Benzing said. “A few times I saw both teams say, ‘Come on, we got this,’ and ‘We got another quarter.’ [They] recognized when teammates were down, [and] could help lift each other up.”
Both teams did a great job of passing, cheering, and encouraging each other. It was clear how supportive the team environment was.
Quinyon Mays is a patrol officer from Villanova University. “I learned that teamwork really makes the dream work. I felt like we all played as a really great team on both sides,” he said. “It was definitely fun. I just want to give thanks to everybody that hosted this event. This is really great.”
Parent Mrs. Nicole Bottino, one of the event organizers, was quite satisfied with the outcome of the night.
“It was a really strong play. Both teams played really hard, really strong. It was competitive, but equally fun,” Bottino said. “It’s been so joyful watching everyone play together and just have a really good time.”
This is Unified Basketball‘s third official season. The team has highlighted its success both on and off the court. Players, coaches, and spectators note the stress-free domain.
“I knew exactly what to do, and I enjoyed it. I loved it so much,” Zdilla said.
Unified Basketball has their next match at home on Monday, November 3 at 7:00 p.m.
