LEWISTON, Maine — The Hampden Academy boys basketball team already has won a state championship this winter.
Now the Broncos’ unified basketball team is closing in on a title of its own.
No. 3 Hampden outlasted No. 2 Lewiston 37-36 in double overtime in their Eastern Maine semifinal on Thursday, earning the right to host the regional championship game next Tuesday.
Hampden will face No. 4 Oceanside of Rockland-Thomaston, which defeated top-seeded Winthrop in Thursday’s other semifinal.
The title game will be the second meeting of the season between Hampden and Oceanside, which edged the Broncos 34-33 at Hampden on Feb. 24.
Hampden currently has a 5-1 record, while Oceanside is 5-2.
Top-ranked and undefeated Brunswick (9-0) will host No. 2 Lisbon (7-3) in next Tuesday’s Western Maine championship game after both won their semifinals Thursday.
The unified basketball state championship game is scheduled for Thursday, March 19, at Lewiston High School.
Unified basketball teams student-athletes with developmental disabilities with nonvarsity partners without developmental disabilities on 17 high school squads statewide.
The first-year co-ed program is the result of a partnership among the Maine Principals’ Association, Special Olympics of Maine and Project Unify, a branch of Special Olympics dedicated to increasing athletic and leadership opportunities for students with and without intellectual disabilities.