FWEET!
Coach Riley’s whistle cut through the noisy gym. “Water break!” she yelled.
Shaena Davis jogged to the sideline to get a drink. She shot an exhausted smile to Marisol King, her best friend and teammate, over the top of her water bottle.
“Phew!” said Marisol in between heavy breaths. “Coach is really working us today.”
Shaena nodded. “We’ll definitely be ready for our first game with Springfield tomorrow.”
She could hardly wait to get back on the court. Shaena had spent half the summer at basketball camp and the other half practicing at the rec center up the street so she’d be ready for her eighth grade season. Even though she was the best post player on her team, the South Redford Tigers, she always wanted to be better.
“So, is Springfield any good?” a quiet voice asked.
Marisol and Shaena turned to see Jessie Bechtold next to them, grabbing her water bottle. Jessie had just transferred to South and was new to the team. She’d only played one season at her old school, so she was pretty new to basketball too.
Jessie had been pretty quiet their first few practices. Shaena felt like she hardly knew her, even though they were both playing post.
Marisol sighed. “Unfortunately, yeah,” she replied. “They’re pretty good.”
“But they’re not crazy good,” added Shaena. “We’re usually evenly matched, but I bet we’ll get them this year.”
“Everyone, bring it in!” Coach called.
The three girls quickly capped their water bottles and hustled over. The team gathered in center court around Coach Riley.
“Okay, let’s work on our offense and defense,” said Coach. “Remember, game speed. Practice like we play.”
The team split into their usual groups. Shaena, Marisol, and Annie played offense first. Jessie, Christine, and Beth were on defense.
Marisol stood at the stop of the three-point arc with the ball. Christine lunged in for a steal, but Marisol dodged her and passed the ball to Annie.
Shaena sprinted to the free-throw line with her hands up. “Annie, ball!” she shouted.
Annie faked a pass back to Marisol and then snapped the ball to Shaena.
Up strong, use the backboard, Shaena told herself, repeating the layup advice from her summer camp coach. She dropped her right foot back and around Jessie, then spun past her. Dribbling once, she made the layup.
The shrill sound of Coach’s whistle stopped the play. “Nice fake, Annie, and great job, Shaena!” yelled Coach. “Jessie, that’s exactly what I want you to do, just give her a little more space.”
Jessie gave a sharp nod. “Got it,” she said.
On the next play, Jessie did just what Coach had told her to do. Shaena dropped her right foot back, ready to go in for the layup again. But as she turned to throw the ball, there was Jessie.
The other post player jumped, and the ball made a loud thump as it smacked into her hands. Jessie grabbed the ball from the air and hit the court, ready to make a move.
Shaena felt her cheeks turn red. A rookie had just blocked her shot!
Coach blew her whistle again. “Fantastic, Jessie! That was great defense!” she shouted.
“Yeah, nice block!” added Christine as she high-fived Jessie, who smiled shyly at all the attention.
“Shaena, that’s a good move, but try to mix it up a little, okay?” said Coach Riley.
“Okay, Coach,” agreed Shaena.
The drop step was her signature move, but Shaena scolded herself for using it twice in a row. She would have to switch things up in tomorrow’s game to keep the Springfield defense guessing.
As Shaena got ready for another run-through, she watched the other post player more carefully. Although Jessie was new to basketball, she had some natural talent and was clearly getting better with each practice.
Shaena’s stomach twisted. Will I be sharing the spotlight? she wondered.