It’s almost time for tip-off! The 11th Annual Hardwood Heroes Celebrity Special Olympics Basketball Game is scheduled for March 28, at Shawnee State University in Portsmouth, Ohio.

“Hardwood Heroes pits the adult Scioto County Shooting Stars team and the Vern Riffe Cardinals student team against local celebrities in a basketball game,” said Scioto County Developmental Disabilities Outreach Coordinator Theresa Rowland. “This is a serious game and the athletes take this game very seriously. They practice hard and they are in it to win it.”

The teams have a full line-up of regular season Special Olympics games throughout the month of March to help them practice and prepare for the big game.

“This year they’re going to be playing some pretty incredible people,” Rowland said.

While the complete celebrity roster has not yet been announced, some of the names already confirmed include Caleb Miller (King Calaway), Maddie Burnside and Terry Stevens (Oddfellows), several local doctors, and three high school players: Devon Lattimore (Wheelersburg) and Deandre Berry and Daysha Reid (Portsmouth).

Special guests at the game will include KC Chatfield and Scioto County Commissioner Bryan Davis as Masters of Ceremonies. Scioto DD Board Member Bill Adams will deliver the invocation, and Linda Tieman will bring the Portsmouth West Men’s Chorus to sing the Star Spangled Banner. Shawnee State University Cheerleaders will also perform during the game, along with Shooting Stars Cheerleaders, Vern Riffe Cardinals Cheerleaders, and Notre Dame High School Cheerleaders.

“The community coming together and the camaraderie of the evening – I can’t even explain the feeling I have when I leave at the end of the night,” Rowland said. “Athletes from Shawnee State University are always wonderful about showing up. They man the scoreboard and they help with the officiating. If the special olympians need help, they are right out there coaching them. It’s just phenomenal.”

Admission to the game is $2 per person, and each admission ticket comes with one entry for special door prizes. Additional entries are $1 each, or six for $5, and can be purchased during the game from Scioto County Sheriff David Thoroughman. There will also be a split-the-pot drawing at the game.

Proceeds from the charity game will benefit Scioto County Special Olympics.

For more information about the programs and services at Scioto County Developmental Disabilities, call 740-353-0636 or visit online at www.sciotocountydd.org, and like and follow them on Facebook and TikTok.