North Carolina Special Olympics basketball team led by Cabarrus County coach wins silver medal

INDIANAPOLIS (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A basketball team comprised of Special Olympians from North Carolina brought home a silver medal last week.

The Special Olympics of North Carolina team competed Aug. 6 in the 2025 Special Olympics North America (SONA) Unified Women’s 3×3 Basketball Tournament in Indianapolis. Two members of the team are from Cabarrus County, including head coach Kayla Crayton.

Ten teams of Special Olympics athletes and Unified partners from the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean competed in the tournament. Unified competition allows individuals with intellectual disabilities, Special Olympics athletes, and individuals without intellectual disabilities — known as Unified partners — to train and compete together.

Special Olympics North Carolina’s team included:

• Gabi Angelini, Wake County, athlete
• Elli Baumann, Durham County, Unified partner
• Clare Feole, Orange County, athlete
• Loranda Quicksey-Mills, Lee County, athlete
• Takiyah Rustin, Cabarrus County, Unified partner
• Kayla Crayton, Cabarrus County, coach

“This team doesn’t give up, stop or slow down. They gave it everything they had for the whole tournament,” said Crayton, who also coaches the A.L. Brown High School girls team.

The team lost by 1 point to Jamaica in the gold-medal game.

3×3 basketball (pronounced “three-ex-three”) is a fast-paced, half-court version of traditional basketball. It’s officially governed by FIBA and has grown from streetball roots into a globally recognized sport, making its Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 games.

Games are played for 10 minutes or end sooner when the first team scores 21 points. It’s a half-court format and a single hoop. The basketball is unique in that it is the same weight as a standard men’s ball but slightly smaller.

The tournament was held in partnership with Pacers Sports & Entertainment and the Indiana Fever.