February 12, 2026
Members of the Union County Cougars basketball team are, from left to right, in the front row, head coach Zach Noland, Leo Wright, Cayden Larriuz, Andrew Wright and Corey Ford, and in the back row, coach Austin Noland, Auston Cunningham, Chase Gibson, Ivan Green, Quinton Bodine, DJ Litzke and coach Eric Bodine. (Photo submitted)
Local Special Olympians make state basketball finals
From Gazette staff reports
The Cougars, Union County’s Special Olympics basketball team, made program history this week, winning the South Central Regional Basketball Tournament and advancing to the state finals.
For the first time ever, the Cougars will represent the region at the State Indoor Winter Games at Ohio State University on Feb. 20–22. Game times will be announced soon, with updates available on the Union County Board of Disabilities’ social media platforms.
The Cougars captured a 35-30 victory over Delaware County in the championship game. Both teams earned their spots in the title contest by winning three tournament games.
Offenses were reportedly slow to st…
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