Tom Fullen has been coaching basketball for more than half a century, but he’s seldom been prouder of a team than he was Sunday, when his Mt. Hope High School unified basketball players beat Woonsocket 47-34 to claim the state’s Division II Unified Basketball Championship, held at La Salle Academy.

“This team really represented what unified basketball is all about,” he said Monday. “I’m proud of them.”

It was a standout year for the Mt. Hope squad, which captured the state’s Eastern Division with a 7-1 record before heading to the states. Unified basketball, in which athletes are paired with “partners” who team up with them on and off the court, is designed to help kids work together and instill confidence, sportsmanship and teamwork in each other. Some teams “gel” better than others, Coach Fullen said, but this year’s edition stood out:

“They really meshed together as a team,” he said. “They laughed together, cried together, ate together and sat together, and on the court it was the same way. That’s what it’s all about. I’ve been here (at Mt. Hope) seven years and working with these kids is such an enjoyment.”

Players on this year’s squad include:

Athletes: Mylan Jackson, Nicholas Fartura, Mike Medeiros, Ben Teves, Sam Ward, Pat Fraime and Carolina Barboza.

Partners: Jake Holt, Olivia Medeiros, Emily Medeiros, Sierra Maturi, Drew Tyska, Samantha Russell, Isaiah Ferro, Greg Giroux and Thea Brum.