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Photo courtesy of Westwood Public Schools. The Westwood Unified Basketball team joins members of the Westwood Police Department basketball team in a group photo in Westwood High School's gymnasium on Tuesday, October 6, 2026.
10-11-2026 7:55pm
Westwood Police Officers Tip Off Against the WHS Unified Basketball Team
Darlene Cancell
Editor
The sounds of AC/DC’s hit song “Thunderstruck” rang through the Westwood High School (WHS) gymnasium on Tuesday, October 6, as the WHS Unified Basketball team warmed up to take on the Westwood Police Department (WPD) in a friendly, community-building event.
The game was brought to WHS by senior Ava Meredith, a lacrosse player who is now in her second year on the Unified Basketball team. As part of Special Olympics Unified Sports, the WHS Unified Basketball team includes athletes with and without developmental and intellectual disabilities.
Photo courtesy of Westwood Public Schools. A Westwood High School Unified Basketball team member takes a shot.“I just love hanging out with everyone and making new friends and making everyone feel like they’re included,” Ava said. “It’s just really fun to do when I’m not playing any other sports in the fall.”
It was after learning about a similar annual basketball game between Dedham students and Dedham police officers that Ava reached out to special education teacher Virginia Booth, who is also the coach of the Unified Basketball team.
Coach Booth, who has coached the Westwood Unified team for the last three years, said she is grateful to Ava for organizing the game.
“She did it,” said Coach Booth. “She executed it. I’m incredibly proud of her.”
Photo courtesy of Westwood Public Schools. A Westwood Unified Basketball player prepares to receive the ball.Westwood Police Sergeant Christopher Elcock participated as a member of the WPD team. He said he was impressed by the Westwood Unified team. He described how students formed a high-five line for the Unified players to run through as their names were announced. He said he could see from their faces how much the players enjoyed that experience and the support of the crowd.
“I can’t say enough about the students on the team. They did such a great job making people feel welcome on the team. During the game, they encouraged [teammates] to take shots,” he said. He also called the crowd “awesome,” estimating that at least 100 people attended, including students and parents.
Photo courtesy of Westwood Public Schools. Spectators packed a portion of the bleachers in Westwood High School's gymnasium as WHS Unified Basketball took on the Westwood Police Department on October 6, 2026.The student section was full and raucous, as chants of “AIRBALL!” rang through the gym when Westwood police officers missed their shots. Members of the WHS cheerleading squad were on hand with signs celebrating the Unified players.
“Every officer who was there had a great time. Virginia was so great about it. Ava did such a great job, and got awesome t-shirts for the game,” said Sgt. Elcock.
Each WPD team member wore a dark blue shirt while playing. On the front of each shirt, white lettering spelled out “Westwood Unified Basketball” under the image of the top half of a basketball. The back of the shirts read, “WESTWOOD POLICE,” below which were side-by-side images of the Westwood High School basketball logo and the police department’s patch.
Photo courtesy of Westwood Public Schools. Westwood Police Chief Russell O'Neill dribbles the ball during the October 6 Unified Basketball game at WHS.At the time of the game, Westwood Chief of Police Russell O’Neill had only been on the job for about six weeks. He said he felt this event was a must-do for his department.
“My officers are out in the community every day, but this is an opportunity for us to connect with members of the community that should be seen and heard,” said Chief O’Neill. “We get an opportunity to have some fun with them and engage on a competitive court, and hopefully have a little fun and form a connection.”
Members of the department who were on duty stopped by to check out the action and cheer on both teams. That included Sergeant Heather Rose, who has been a member of the department for 12 years.
“I love this,” said Rose. “Anything where you can include everyone and make it feel like a championship game for everyone is a good time. This is a great community event for us and a good time to get to know the kids on the team and their families. I grew up doing [Best] Buddies games with baseball and softball. It’s a passion of mine. It’s what I live for.”
“It was so much fun. It was really great being involved in the community,” said Sgt. Elcock. “We already talked with the basketball team about doing it every year.”
Photo courtesy of Westwood Public Schools. Players watch the basketball drop through the hoop at the Westwood High School Unified Basketball game against Westwood Police on October 6, 2026.The final score was WHS Unified 106 to Westwood Police Department 44. The game is available for viewing on Westwood Media Center’s YouTube channel.
Westwood High School has been recognized by Special Olympics as a Unified Champion School. According to the Special Olympics website, Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools promote meaningful social inclusion by bringing together students with and without intellectual disabilities and creating accepting school environments through Special Olympics Unified Sports, inclusive youth leadership, and whole-school engagement.
Thanks to Westwood Public Schools for contributing to this Westwood Minute article.
