If you thought basketball season was over, you haven’t been watching the NBA playoffs. Or you weren’t at the Homer High School gym on Saturday to see Special Olympics basketball teams from Homer and the Central Peninsula play the game with lots of heart and fierce competitive spirit.
The final score was 42-31, Homer’s favor.
With Head Coach Russ Radliff and assistant coach Russell Campbell, the Homer team got the game off to a fast start, putting the first two points on the scoreboard. The Central Peninsula athletes, with Head Coach Jason Yeoman and assistant coach Joy Dysert, were quick to respond, however, tying the game 2-2 within the first three minutes of the game. A free throw gave the Central Pen team a one-point lead, but Homer didn’t stand for that and came back strong, ending the quarter with a score of 8-5. By the half, Homer was still ahead, 18-11.
Coming back onto the court after halftime, Homer didn’t waste any time to score, sinking a two-pointer less than a minute into the third quarter. Again, the CP team followed suit, boosting their score two points within the next minute.  The action continued, with Homer’s lead narrowing. When the buzzer signaled the end of the third quarter, Homer was ahead by one point, 26-25.
Tearing into the last eight minutes of the game, Homer immediately sunk a two pointer and kept up a solid push to win the game with a final score of 42-31.
The Central Peninsula’s basketball team numbered 23 athletes, with the Homer team numbering 14.
Earlier in the day, 13 Special Olympic swimmers from Homer and seven from the Central Peninsula competed at the Kate Kuhns Aquatic Center. Events included individual assisted and unassisted swims, as well as relay. Ruhiyyih Baker was head coach for the Homer team, assisted by Brian Ormond and Randi Tressler. Coaching the Central Peninsula swimmers were Morgan Ezell and Suzanne Fisler.
McKibben Jackinsky can be reached at mckibben.jackinsky@homernews.com.

Special Olympics-Alaska
Homer-Central Peninsula Local Games
Swim Competition May 10, 2014
10m assisted swim, division M1: 1. Chuck Davis, Central Peninsula, 1:21.30.
15m walk, division M1: 1. Johnnie Jones, Homer, 20.69; 2. Eddie Escalera, Homer, 20.94.
15m unassisted swim, division M1: 1. Johnnie Jones, Homer, 19.45; 2. Eddie Escalera, Homer, 19.84.
15 m unassisted swim, division M3: 1. Trystan Clucas, Central Peninsula, 37.75.
15 m unassisted swim, division F1: 1. Donna Glover, Homer, 54.09.
15m float, division M1: 1. Chuck Davis, Central Peninsula, 2:17.15.
25m breaststroke, division F1: 1. Cheryl Blair, Homer, 1:31.07.
25m breaststroke, division M1: 1. Scott Trail, Homer, 30.39.
25m butterfly, division F1: 1. Myrna Kuchenoff, Homer, 43.00.
25m free, heat 1, division F1: 1. Kendra Derning, Central Peninsula, 43.84; 2. Donna Glover, Homer, 1:41.3.
25 m free, heat 1, division F2: 1. Krissy Norton, Homer, 25.21; 2. Cheryl Blair, Homer, 38.26; 3. Amber Becker, Homer, 39.94; 4. Shaunti Johnson, Homer, 40.89.
25m free, heat 2, division M1: 1. Robby Reeves, Homer, 22.33; 2. Scott Trail, Homer, 36.02.
25m free, heat 3, division M2: 1. Darryl Magen, Central Peninsula, 30.08; 2. Bryce Braun, Central Peninsula, 1:00.42; 3. Garrett Updike, Central Peninsula, 1:00.53; 4. Trystan Clucas, Central Peninsula, 1:01.37.
25 m free, division M3: 1. Espen Restad, Homer, 27.97.
100m free, division F1: 1. Myrna Kuchenoff, Homer, 2:21.02; 2. Katrina Panzel, Central Peninsula, 2:41.83; 3. Kinna Ledger, Homer, 2:56.34.
100 m free, division M1: 1.     Brent Guarin Escolta, Homer, 1:38.01.
25m backstroke, heat 1, division M1: 1. Brent Guarin Escolta, Homer, 26.84.
25m backstroke, heat 2, division F1: 1. Kendra Derning, Central Peninsula, 1:11.03; 2. Donna Glover, Homer, 1:23.23.
25m backstroke, division F2: 1. Krissy Norton, Homer, 28.87; 2. Shaunti Johnson, Homer, 39.63; 3. Amber Becker, Homer, 46.66.
50m free, division M1: 1. Robby Reeves, Homer, 56.75; 2. Darryl Magen, Central Peninsula, 1:09.27; 3. Scott Trail, Homer, 1:10.12.
50m free, division M2: 1. Espen Restad, Homer, 1:18.77.
50m free, division F1: 1. Katrina Panzel, Central Peninsula, 1:00.71; 2. Kinna Ledger, Homer, 1:18.09; 3. Krissy Norton, Homer, 1:20.38; 4. Cheryl Blair, Homer, 1:23.52.
50m free, division F2: 1. Shaunti Johnson, Homer, 1:30.19; 2. Kendra Durning, Central Peninsula, 2:03.40.
50m backstroke, division F2: 1. Katrina Panzel, Central Peninsula, 2:14.08.
50m backstroke, division F1: 1. Myrna Kuchenoff, Homer, 1:06.39; 2. Amber Becker, Homer, 1:40.66; 3. Kinna Ledger, Homer, 2:06.25.
50 m backstroke, division M1: 1. Brent Guarin Escolta, Homer, 55.40.
4x25m relay, division M1: 1. Homer 1 team of Myrna Kuchenoff, Shaunti Johnson, Krissy Norton and Brent Guarin Escolta, 1:54.13; 2. Homer 2 team of Scott Trail, Kinna Ledger, Amber Becker and Espen Rested, 2:29.75; 3. Central Peninsula 1 team of Garrett Updike, Darryl Magen, Kendra Derning and Katrina Panzel, 2:48.51.