District 127 hosted Wauconda in a Special Olympic tournament on December 9, 2021 at Grayslake North that ended in a draw. 

 The game started off great with the first point made by player from District 127, Andrew Perez. Not far behind, Wauconda barged in and made their first point of the night. Many spectators came and showed up as they chanted both teams on. The teams did great with communication while playing in the tournament. Everyone on each team got a hold of the ball at least three times. Teammates on both teams made sure to throw the ball to the nearest player showing team effort. 

“I think the Special Olympics is a great organization that creates great opportunities for all players,” said Wauconda’s coach Emily Morzy. 

“I think we do a great job of trying to give our Special Olympic athletes the same experiences our other athletes have – sometimes better, ” said Special Olympics coach Lori DeFiore. 

Making the sixth point for District 127 is Andrew Perez, with a steal from Wauconda’s player #35. From the team’s first practice, they have improved on a variety of playing tactics. 

“After only being able to get together via Zoom last year, we have worked hard to come together as a team.  Our defense has come a long way too,” DeFiore said.

Making the fourth point for Wauconda’s team is player #40, Emily Porter. On Wauconda’s ball, Emily Porter dribbled the ball to her fellow competitor’s side and missed her first throw, but she got the ball back and made a comeback making the shot. Making Districts 127’s 40th shot is Angel Martinez. Angel Martinez stole the ball from Wauconda player #40. While dribbling the ball back to his competitor’s net, Wauconda player number 11 steals the ball, almost getting the ball out of bounds but saves by rolling back onto the court where Angel Martinez then gets the ball back and makes a shot, making the last shot for District 127. Wauconda caught up and made their 40th shot around 20 seconds later, right before the buzzer, ending the game in a tie between the two teams.   

“I think the game was great. It allowed enough play time for all our athletes, and it was so much fun playing against another team in such a fun environment,” said Coach Morzy.