The Special Olympics basketball tournament was held the weekend of March 18 and 19. Evanston’s E-Team 1 played one game each day, just like the Northwestern men’s basketball team against Gonzaga in the NCAA Tournament.
The E-Team 1 started a furious rally during the last 4 minutes of the game, when the team was down by 18 points. Unfortunately, they ran out of time and lost by 7. They played again on Sunday and lost to a Chicago team who were much more physical. In the end, E-Team 1 received fourth place in the tournament.
At the end of each game, the referees awarded the Ron Kneisley Spirit Award to one player from each team. In the first game, Mike Daugerdas received the award; in the second game Caroline Colianne, the only female on E-Team 1, received the award.
On March 25, Evanston Special Recreation hosted swimmers competing in the Special Olympics District Aquatics Meet at Lake Forest College. Any athlete who received a gold medal at this meet was automatically qualified to compete at the state-level Summer Games competition in June.