Above: Hayden Theriault drives to the hoop against Chariho High School on Saturday. He was the high scorer for Portsmouth with 13 points. Photo by Jim McGaw.

PORTSMOUTH — You don’t usually see a basketball player give praise to an opponent after she drills one from the corner, but things are different in unified sports. Here, everyone cheers for each other.

After Chariho High School’s Emily Lennon finally netted a shot after several missed attempts, the first one to congratulate her was Portsmouth’s Ian Bulpett, who gave her a fist-bump as they made their way downcourt.

“That was a great shot,” Ian told a beaming Emily.

That spirit of sportsmanship continued throughout the game, which was ultimately won by the Chargers in a rematch of the Division-3 unified state championship game against Portsmouth, which prevailed last year.

It was a wild, double-overtime thriller played at Bishop Hendricken High School, with the lead changing hands several times before ending with Chariho on top, 40-36.

Despite Chariho getting lots of second chances due to its strong offensive rebounding, Portsmouth found itself ahead at halftime, 17-15. But the team came out a little sluggish in the second half, and the Chargers responded with 10 unanswered points to go ahead 25-17.

Portsmouth stormed right back, however, scoring 10 straight points of its own, including two consecutive fast-break scores by Kyle Boudreau.

Patriots coach Terry Jones said his team showed real resilience.

“(Chariho’s) quick and the athletes are very scrappy,” he said. “We had to play them last year, so it was kind of much of the same; we knew what to expect. But again, we were able to come back. We stayed focused.”

The score was tied at 34 at the end of regulation. Hayden Theriault put the Patriots up by two with one minute left in overtime with a long shot from the corner, but the Chargers answered seconds later.

Portsmouth never again had the lead as Chariho closed the game out in the second OT.

No matter, Mr. Jones said he was proud of what his team has accomplished — as well as the way it went about its business.

“This is our fourth year in a row getting to the states,” he said. “I wish the seniors had won, but the bottom line is everyone played, everyone had a good time and they had a good four years. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Even in the loss they kept their heads up and they were good sports. That’s the whole spirit of unified.”

He added of his opponents: “They’re a great team, they got great coaches and the kids got great attitudes. I’m happy for Chariho.”

Athletes and helpers

Unified basketball is a varsity sport that falls under the purview of the Rhode Island Interscholastic League, in partnership with R.I. Special Olympics.

In unified sports, students with special needs get a chance to compete as varsity athletes. Half of the players are called athletes, and the others are helpers/coaches.

League rules dictate that the helpers can score no more than half of their team’s total points, but like many other teams Portsmouth leaves all the scoring to its athletes. The helpers set up plays and help grab rebounds, dish the balls to athletes and offer them general guidance.

Parting ways

A few tears were shed after the game, but not because Portsmouth failed to repeat as champions. Some of the helpers/coaches who have built strong bonds with the athletes over the years are now moving on.

For cousins Jonathan McKone-Andrews and Haleigh McKone, Saturday’s contest was their final game together in Patriots uniforms. Jonathan, an athlete, embraced a teary eyed Haleigh, a senior who’s been a helper/coach on the team for four years.

Mr. Jones said he’s losing five helpers and three athletes next year, but he’s confident the program will remain a strong one at the high school.

“We’ve got some new students coming into the school and we’re looking forward to getting them in there, teaching them how to play, sportsmanship — the whole thing.”

Hayden Theriault led the Patriots with 13 points, followed by Kyle Boudreau (10), Andrew Breede and Ryan Costa (6 apiece) and Ian Bulpett (1).

Check out our gallery of photos from the game below. All photos by Jim McGaw.