Nothing beats a gold medal, except, of course, another goal medal.
Porter County's men's and women's basketball teams both captured the top prize Friday at the Special Olympics USA National Games in Lincoln, Neb.
"The two teams have been a tight-knit group," men's coach Jim MacKenzie said. "As soon as we got done, we took some quick pictures and went upstairs to root them on."
The men's championship started 30 minutes before the women's, and it didn't take long for word of the men's dramatic 25-22 victory over Ohio to reach the women's bench as they were playing the second half.
"One of the parents came behind us and told us they'd won," women's coach Angie MacKenzie, Jim's wife, said.
"It's awesome for both teams to bring home the gold, both being from Porter County. I was fortunate enough to be with the team in 2006 (when they won nationals), and this ranks very high."
The women's game lacked the suspense of the men's, with Porter County racing to a 16-6 halftime lead en route to a 26-15 triumph over Nebraska Red. Ashley Kazen notched eight points, and Michelle Waisanen added a surprise hoop.
"Michelle's not one of our shooters, so it was awesome to see her get a basket," Angie MacKenzie said.
"It's really special for the women, because only four of the 10 (Waisanen, Lee Anne Bettenhausen, Lauren Bettenhausen and Katy Kelly) were on the team four years ago in Iowa. I'm so proud of the girls."
The men overcame a nine-point halftime deficit to prevail. They won in a similar fashion in the semifinals against Illinois on Thursday.
"I just told them (at halftime), 'Do you want this or not? If you don't want it, don't even go out there. This is not Hoosier basketball,'" Jim MacKenzie said.
"We pressed the whole game, and we just stepped it up in the second half. (Ohio was) making some very costly turnovers. Steven Crosby's defense came up big, and David Moscoe made some key free throws that really helped us out. It all came down to conditioning. We still had the speed. We still had the drive."
On the bus afterwards, the teams got on speaker phone to relay the good news to Porter County Special Olympics Coordinator Lorrie Woycik back home.
"It's a great honor and a great privilege," Angie MacKenzie said.
Porter County's big day was capped at the closing ceremonies, where Jennifer Seeburger of Hebron, a two-event medalist, was one of four athletes chosen to lead the entrance.
