It wasn’t because of the drama and tension of a tight game, nor was it due to bitterness from a rivalry clash or the high stakes attached to the contest.

Thursday was different, but it was as beautiful and special as any moment you will find in high school athletics this year across Western New York.

The Dunkirk Marauders visited the Silver Creek Black Knights for a unified basketball game to celebrate May the Fourth — also known as Star Wars Day. The Marauders came away with a 43-20 victory — but from the smiles shared by both teams throughout the evening, it felt like both teams left the gym on top.

“It’s extremely rewarding — even when the other team scores, it makes me happy,” Silver Creek coach Jennifer Johnson said. “I see everyone coming together, playing a sport I absolutely love, and everybody is cheering for everybody. Everybody is happy — there’s no angry parents, no angry referees, no angry players. … It’s a really joyful experience.”

Silver Creek’s Troy Cooper (10) shoots during Thursday’s unified basketball game against Dunkirk at Silver Creek High School. OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen

Dunkirk coach Michelle Gilmour concurred. “It’s been a wonderful experience,” she said. “I feel like now that we’re playing more games, the kids are starting to understand the object of the game more, so they are becoming a lot more successful. That’s really neat to see.”

The Special Olympics defines unified sports as a “program that empowers individuals with and without intellectual disabilities to engage through the power of sports.” Unified sports allows for athletes without intellectual disabilities to act as “partners” to their teammates, and on Thursday, that was evident through the playing style of both teams. Members of each team often backed off on defense to allow for their opponent to attempt a shot.

“To see my athletes actually step back and let their athletes shoot, that means a lot. They recognize that they want to score too, and they give them the opportunity. That warms my heart,” Johnson said.

Specific to the winning team, Dunkirk featured three varsity girls basketball players on its roster — Molly DiCara, Shyla Karin and Ana Rodriguez, along with boys varsity basketball player Louis Nunez. None of the four varsity basketball players registered a point in the 43-20 victory, instead choosing to defer to their teammates to allow for their shining moment in high school athletics.

“They understood the moment,” Gilmour said.

Dunkirk’s Dakota Sedlacek (1) celebrates as another player knocks down a tower of blocks as part of the halftime festivities on Thursday at Silver Creek High School. OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen

To begin the game, Levi Lawton got the scoring going for Silver Creek. Dunkirk then responded with the next five points — all scored by Dakota Sedlacek. Dominic Kemp responded with a bucket for the Black Knights to make the score 5-4 in favor of the visitors, but Dunkirk scored the final six points of the opening frame to lead 11-4 after one quarter of play.

In the first quarter, Dunkirk had four players score — Sedlacek with two buckets including a 3-pointer, along with one basket apiece for Izael Rivera, Angel Rosa Cruz and Ayden Hamernick — the first basket of his athletic career at Dunkirk. Hamernick was beaming with joy after his underhand shot went through the net. He later said to one coach on the bench, “I did it!” and to another coach, “I scored!”

As the game progressed, Hamernick tickled the twine three more times, as he finished with 8 points in the contest. However, the final six of his eight points came after halftime, as Hamernick relied on the force to guide the ball through the hoop. After intermission, Hamernick returned to the floor donning a Yoda mask. The crowd cheered as the public address announcer welcomed Yoda to the floor.

As if having the force on their side wasn’t enough, Sedlacek had the kind of performance for Dunkirk that left his coaches and teammates repeatedly exclaiming on the bench throughout the second half, “He’s on fire!”

Gilmour called the reaction players have when another player scores “indescribable.” She added, “It’s such a great moment, and the fact that all kids from both teams are excited, it’s something that really makes an impact. … That’s one of the greatest things about unified sports.”

Silver Creek’s Dominic Kemp (25) shoots during Thursday’s unified basketball game against Dunkirk at Silver Creek High School. OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen

With three shots made in each half, including a trio of 3-pointers in the contest, Sedlacek led all scorers with 15 points. He frequently celebrated demonstratively after cashing in, never once letting his confidence waver.

As hot as Sedlacek was shooting Thursday, it was helpful to have a nurse nearby. Fortunately, Silver Creek’s coach was just that. Johnson, who also serves the district as the school nurse, admitted there have been plenty of challenges during her tenure at the district in navigating a pandemic. But nights like Thursday, she said, make it all worth it.

“The pandemic was pretty difficult to work through, but this has been something that’s been the highlight of my work. I get emotional even thinking about it,” Johnson said. “I look forward to this all year long.”

For Gilmour, the former varsity softball coach at Dunkirk High School and an employee of the district, she has been touched by how her unified athletes communicate on a regular basis in the hallways of the school.

“The most important thing is during the school day, when our athletes see their partners and interact. That feeling is the whole point of Unified, to make them feel included — and our kids feel so included. They see them in the hallway and say, ‘These are my friends.’ It’s really neat to see that part of it,” Gilmour said.

Silver Creek coach Jennifer Johnson wore a custom-made Star Wars Silver Creek unified sweater to celebrate May the Fourth on Thursday. OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen

After walking through the postgame handshake line, players were given lightsaber balloons to celebrate the occasion. The halftime festivities also included a challenge to knock down towers built with storm trooper helmets on the side of the hand-crafted pillars, as well as a photo booth for athletes and their guests to commemorate the event.

Silver Creek’s Julie Decker (33) smiles after assisting on a teammate’s shot during a unified basketball game, Thursday, at Silver Creek High School. OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen