SARANAC LAKE — The Saranac Lake High School gymnasium was abuzz Thursday night with a packed gymnasium, an electric guitar halftime show and two unified basketball teams playing their hearts out.
As classes were dismissed early for the Red Storm's annual Unified Basketball Assemblies game, students, teachers, staff, and fans joined the Saranac Lake Unified Basketball Team, which unites students with and without learning disabilities. I watched from the audience seats as the players from a team specializing in sports participated in the match. The Beekman Town Eagles play his fourth quarter of inspired basketball.
The Eagles finished the game with a 34-25 victory, but the result didn't really matter as the Red Storm faithful were rooting for the visiting Eagles as well as the host nation.
“This really shows what unified basketball is all about.” Saranac Lake unified coach Patrick Kissel said. “It's about coming together and supporting everyone and giving everyone an opportunity to have the time of their lives. And have they ever done that?”
The game started out relatively close, with Beekman Town leading 14-12 at the end of the first half. But despite some hot shooting from the Red Storm, including a 3-pointer from Saranac Lake fan favorite Tyler Hochwald, the Eagles took control after intermission.
Saranac Lake didn't take the lead, but seven players had at least one basket: Hochwald, Ryan Knight, Christian Giroux, Shannon Thivierge, Cody McDuff-Taylor, Jayty Colby and Ivy Liberty.
“I think just about every guy and girl had some points.” Kissel said. “They had a chance. Some guys had some good looks, some guys didn't have great looks and made shots. At the end of the day, I wish we could do this every week, but this community event… It's so special when we all come together. It really shows the positivity, kindness, and compassion that we have, and given the relative nature of everything in the world, it's great to see. It’s always a pleasure.”
With Saranac Lake's choir singing the national anthem and students playing electric guitars and belting out '80s classics like Metallica's “Master of Puppets” at halftime, school events are more than just a basketball game. It was grand.
“Evin, our guitar player, has been practicing for weeks. He loves to jam out. He's a fan favorite. The whole school was talking about him.” Kissel said. “It's so great to get everyone involved. A lot of people came and said, 'This is really great.' We're really excited about this match. Are you ready? How are you doing, players? It's a real source of pride here and something really special here at Saranac Lake. ”
There were some favorite players in the crowd, including Knight, an eighth-grader who was in charge of the entire section, and they held signs that read: “Knight Rider” and “Ryan Rocks” Hochwald, a longtime unified basketball player, made sure the crowd was never quiet. His senior encouraged the crowd by raising his arms up and down regardless of the outcome.
“(Tyler) is a champion and a fan favorite.” Kissel said. “Ryan Knight, this is his first year playing with us, but he's quickly become a fan favorite. They're Superman.”
Kissel, who has helped coach Unified basketball at Saranac Lake for the past four years, said after watching his Unified players leave with smiles on his face that this was the job of a lifetime.
“This is something I want to do for the rest of my life.” He said. “This is why we teach, this is why we coach, this is why we are here.”
In addition to Beekmantown and Saranac Lake, five other Section VII schools compete in the Unified Basketball League: Au Sable Valley, Peru, Plattsburgh, Saranac Central and Ticonderoga. All seven teams will play each other at least once, and each school will have one assembly game just before after school.
“Actually, there's a meeting (in Beekman Town) on Mondays, and if you go there, the student council will be there.” Kissel said. “I found a game that brings out an incredible level of excitement when a student group is present.”
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Saranac Lake roster
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2. Ryan Knight, 8th grade
3. Christian Giroux, Grade 10
10. Shannon Thivierge, 12th grade
11. Caleb Akey, 12th grade
12. Cody McDuff Taylor, 12th grade
14. Jayty Colby, 11th grade
15. Ivy Liberty, 11th grade
20. Melvin Siljkovic, 12th grade
22. Tyler Hochwald, 12th grade
44. Brady Owens, 12th grade