The Lebanon Tigers basketball teams both fell to the Danville Warriors Friday night despite cheers from the Hendricks County Spirit Special Olympics Squad.
– Photo courtesy of Lebanon Tigers Athletics
The Lebanon Lady Tigers took to the court against the Danville Warriors, sporting a score of 31 to 12 with the Warriors leading by the halftime mark. The Lady Tigers fought to close the gap between the two teams during the second half, ending the game with a score of 26 to 62 with the Warriors taking the game.
The Lebanon Tigers took to the court against the Danville Warriors amidst cheers from the Hendricks County Spirit Special Olympics Squad. While the Tigers fell in a close game of 52 to 59, spirits remained high for the teams as the Special Olympics Spirit Squad performed.
“Lebanon Tigers and Danville Warriors support Special Olympics and Champions Together (Friday night),” Lebanon Athletics shared. “Great job by all.”
Champions Togerher is an Indiana High School Athletics Association Special Olympics Indiana partnership that helps those involved with Special Olympics to travel to schools and communities across Indiana to participate in different activities.
This school year, the Champions Together team has hosted numerous assemblies with prominent guest speakers in the Special Olympics organization at Indiana high schools, such as Manchester High School, Fishers High School, Jennings County High School, Kankakee Valley High School, South Ripley High School, Perry Central High School and many more. Danville High School and the Lebanon High School Tigers have become the newest participants in the Champions Together efforts across the state.
“Lebanon Tigers and Danville Community High School Warriors basketball teams and fans (supported) the Hendricks County Spirit Special Olympics Squad (Friday night) at Danville,” Champions Together leaders posted. “Thanks for their support of the inclusion revolution.”
The loss for the Lady Tigers follows the team’s path during the 2023 winter season where they have secured victories over Tipton, Shortridge and Martinsville while falling to teams such as Delphi in overtime. The Junior Varsity Lady Tigers have also been sporting an outstanding season, securing an 8-0 record at the beginning of December following their victory over Crawfordsville. The Lebanon Tigers coaches have released statements of gratitude and inspiration for the success of their teams this year.
“Coach Wilson is very proud of how well this (JV) team has bonded and works as a team,” Megan Alexander, Lebanon High School Teacher and former Coach of the Lady Stars Basketball Team, wrote. “What is special about these girls is that they each have stepped up and rose to the challenge when asked. Typical for a JV team, often key players miss quarters or are ‘saved’ for possibly Varsity action. This does not phase this group. When one player sits, another is more than able to fulfill that role.”