What the Bradley-Bourbonnais Special Olympics Unified Basketball team has accomplished in recent memory is nothing short of phenomenal.

The Boilermakers may have come up just short in Saturday’s IHSA Class 2A State championship against Vaughn/St. Patrick, falling by a 44-36 final, but as the program made its fifth straight state appearance, the two-time state champions let it be known that as long as Unified hoops is a part of the IHSA, they’re going to be one of the most dangerous teams in the field.

“We have a really good group of kids,” Boilers coach Duke Wilson said. “Everyone from our managers to our starting five plays a really big role, everyone contributes every year. Our players do a really good job of knowing that our standard is to go to state, and that’s a credit to them.”

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Bradley-Bourbonnais' Andrew Mathews, top left, and Carter Borneman battle Vaugh/St. Patrick's Pierre Brown for a loose ball during the IHSA Class 2A Special Olympics Unified State championship game at the University of Illinois' Activities and Recreation Center Saturday, March 14, 2026. (Mason Schweizer)

Facing an Eagles squad that had a significant size advantage, the Boilers hung tough for the better part of the game, swapping 10 lead changes and five ties over the first two-plus quarters that saw neither team lead by more than a possession.

But that final lead change, which came on a Chewy Nee bucket that made it 28-27 with 3:46 left in the third, gave the Eagles a lead they’d hold the rest of the way, growing to as large as 14 points midway through the fourth.

Even then, the Boilers found some late grit, forcing a few turnovers that went for transition buckets the other way to cut their deficit to the single-digit final margin as the defending champions didn’t go out without a fight.

“Pure defense,” Boilers Special Olympian Jeremiah Jones, who had a team-high nine points, said. “Offense we had a little struggle, because we were frustrated and too quick on ourselves. We didn’t think straight. I wish we would have held the ball a little bit and passed the ball, but it’s just part of basketball. We’re going to make mistakes.”

After Jeremiah Jones, Unified partners Josh Jones and Andrew Mathews had eight points apiece. Special Olympians Carter Borneman (six points), Zyire McCoffin (three) and Josh Danta (two) also scored.

Unified sports are a way for Special Olympics athletes to compete alongside their peers in an athletic setting. For Bradley-Bourbonnais, that means members of the school’s Best Buddies program are able to take the hardwood together, with three Special Olympians and two Unified partners on the court at a time.

Josh Jones said that while he wishes now that he’d gotten involved earlier than he did when he began as a sophomore, his experience as a Unified hooper has been nothing short of great.

“It’s been a great experience,” he said. “A lot of the inclusiveness we do with Unified and Best Buddies is amazing. I love being a part of this, and it’s just a great opportunity for everyone.”

His classmate, Calvin Kohl, played on the team the last three years before moving into an assistant coach role due to an injury suffered during the football season. And although the final score read as a victory for the Eagles, Kohl was proud the Boilers’ Special Olympics athletes outscored the Eagles’ 20-13.

“It’s rare to find a team that their athletes are scoring more than their partners, and that’s how it should be,” Kohl said. “Unfortunately that wasn’t the case (for both teams) today, but I’m proud of our guys. We’re a Unified basketball team, and we represent what Special Olympics is. No matter what the score is, that’s what it comes down to, and that’s due to our coaches.”

Wilson took over as head coach this year after previously serving as an assistant. And whether it’s the primary team that took the floor Saturday or the other two teams in the program, Wilson said all three squads have the same goals and desires.

“The No. 1 thing we preach is inclusion, and that’s seen from all three teams,” Wilson said. “If our athletes are scoring, our partners are scoring, our teams are working together. ... They make our job semi-easy, because they want it as bad as we do. They always turn up the competition and the intensity, and they didn’t quit, so I’m super proud of them.”

But that’s not to say the Boilers are content with a second-place finish. With the 2025-26 season ending Saturday, it won’t be much later than Sunday when the 2023 and 2025 state champs begin the work to keep their streak of odd-year titles alive next winter.

“Going this year, it was fun, but now it’s time to get serious,” Jeremiah Jones said. “Keep trying and keep training every day to come back and get that gold medal.”