After beating out teams from across the nation in the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games, the Lompoc High School Unified Basketball team took home bronze medals on July 6.
More than 4,000 participants representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia competed in 14 team and individual sports at the tournament, which Seattle hosted from July 2 to 6. Lompoc High School Unified Basketball was the only participating team representing Southern California.
“I think all of our coaches and athletes have had great experiences,” assistant coach Marjie Ledgerwood said, “but this was just beyond everything we’ve ever experienced.”
The team played Arizona in the medal round July 6 and won for bronze in a close 23-22 game.
“It was so meaningful to see the athletes’ reactions,” Ledgerwood said. “To come home with the bronze was just icing on the cake.”
This article appears in Jul 19-26, 2018.