In the end the numbers on the scoreboard didn’t really matter.

But the fact that there was a scoreboard — and referees, and uniforms, and a gym full of fans — made all the difference.

The movie was about football. But the real-life version of Friday Night Lights at Honolulu high schools is about making hoop dreams come true for students with special needs.

The event has expanded to four teams and two nights in its third year. Roosevelt hosted two games Friday, and Kalani will do the same this Friday.

“We’ll be having the band coming out, too,” said Falcons coach Rie Akasaki, who is also Kalani’s student activities coordinator.

The event is the brainchild of Nathan Murata, dean of the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s school of education. He did his doctorate on the benefits of athletic competition for people with mental and physical challenges.

“This is my first love. I started out as a special-­needs PE teacher,” Murata said. “Some of these kids try out for the varsity or junior varsity team and don’t make it. This gives them an opportunity to don the uniform, ride the bus and play in a real game.”

The teams include boys and girls, and some are student athletes from the schools’ traditional interscholastic teams. These “peer mentors” rarely if ever shoot the ball, using most of their on-court time acting as player-coaches for their less experienced teammates.

“I feel really happy for them,” said Noah Omori, a sophomore who plays for McKinley. “They have a hard time in life in general. It’s their turn to shine.”

Both games were exciting to the end. McKinley won 39-37 as Antonio Miller made a 3-pointer with 29 seconds left to ensure the win. The Tigers led by 13 points in the third quarter, but back-to-back 3-pointers by fan favorite Tyler Morimoto got the Rough Riders back into the game.

A group of Morimoto’s schoolmates cheering him on were among the estimated 350 in attendance.

“The support for these kids is unbelievable,” said Mika Ane, father of Kalani’s Kahiau Ane, who scored eight points in the Falcons’ 28-27 win against Moanalua.

Kahiau helped Kalani prevail as the teams traded baskets and a 1-point lead six times in the closing minutes.

Kahiau also competes in powerlifting, softball and basketball in the Special Olympics each year.

Like his favorite basketball player, LeBron James, he prides himself on all-around play.

“I shoot only if they (teammates and coaches) want me to shoot,” Kahiau said.

Teamwork prevailed in both games. And in the second game, in-your-face defense and fastbreak offense contributed to the Tigers’ win.

“We only started practicing last month, and only a couple days a week, whenever we could get the gym,” McKinley coach Jodi Tanabe-­Hanzawa said. “In the beginning it was very difficult. They were so much more aggressive tonight. We couldn’t get them to play that way in practice. I guess it’s the adrenaline.”

The team effort was also reflected in volunteer support from all four schools and their communities.

“You know what really made this happen? Everyone, from our security, to our educational assistants to our skill trainers,” Tanabe­-Hanzawa said. “This is all on their own time.”

Friday’s games at Kalani start at 5 p.m., with McKinley playing Moanalua, followed by Roosevelt and Kalani. Admission is free.