The Pilgrim unified basketball team returned to the Rhode Island Interscholastic League Championships last weekend at Bishop Hendricken and topped Mt. Hope to win the title. The Pats reached the championships last season but lost in the finals.

Pilgrim coach Sean Magee was proud of his team for its improvement over the course of the past two seasons, as well as its resiliency after coming up short last season.

“It meant a lot. They were very excited. We had a lot of kids returning that lost in the finals last year, so to be on the other side was great. The beauty of this team is they got better. They got better since last year and it was fun to be a part of. It was a great experience,” said Magee.

With so many returning players, the athletes and partners grew to be friends both on and off the court. That chemistry helped push the program over the top as it hoisted the championship plaque.

Magee mentioned some key athlete-partner duos like Finnegan Blakely and Keaney Bayha, Tyler Martin and Connor Reece, and Juliana Kavanagh and Emilia Kaczmaryk.

“It is one of the most beautiful parts of the program itself. Mixing students of all different abilities together, seeing the athletes and partners work together. The partners want to be with the athletes and the athletes want to be with the partners. Winning is fine, but the relationships that they build together, it’s great to see,” said Magee.

As unified sports continue to grow in Rhode Island, Magee has seen them bring the community together firsthand, and believes that they are an important part to the local sports scene. 

“One of the best examples of seeing its impact is not just on the players, but on the student body. The last few years, Toll Gate comes over and we have an in-school game. It’s an amazing thing to be a part of and the students are really rooting hard and they are very respectful of Toll Gate. It’s not us versus them, it’s a celebration of sports and our students embrace it,” said Magee.