Friday night, Shaena stood in front of the gym doors where she could hear muffled noises. The familiar flutter of butterflies rose in her stomach, making her feel queasy and excited at the same time. She always got these pregame jitters when she heard the loud chatter of the spectators and the upbeat warm-up music.
“Ready for our first game?” Marisol asked, coming up behind her.
Shaena smiled and gave a nod. “Ready.”
The South Redford Tigers jogged out onto the court and started their warm-up routine. Shaena soon forgot her butterflies as she concentrated on perfecting her movements, reminding herself to hold her follow-through on her jump shot.
Eventually the clock wound down, and the music stopped. It was time for both teams to line up for the jump ball.
Shaena came to the center of the court. Because she was South’s tallest player, she always jumped for the ball. But the Springfield player was even taller than Shaena. The two girls took their positions across from one another, facing toward their own baskets.
The referee checked to make sure all of the players were in position. Then he tossed the ball up in the air between Shaena and the Springfield post.
Shaena and the other player leaped up for the ball. Even though she was a couple of inches shorter, Shaena timed her jump better. She tipped the ball over her head back to Marisol.
South’s fans cheered as Marisol took the ball and dribbled up the court. Shaena ran into position at the right side of the basket.
Just like they’d practiced, Shaena turned toward Marisol and held her right hand out, giving Marisol a target to pass to. The pass zinged into Shaena’s hands. She brought the ball close to her chest, turned, aimed, and took the shot.
SWISH! The ball went cleanly through the hoop. Shaena had scored the first basket of the game!
“Way to go, Shaena!” someone cheered from the stands. Shaena grinned, immediately recognizing the voice — her mom had always been her biggest fan.
But Shaena quickly focused back on the game. Springfield’s point guard had grabbed the ball and was dribbling back up the court, unfazed by South’s fast start.
The Springfield post player took her spot near the basket, holding her arms above her head to get the attention of the point guard. Shaena got into a defensive position, moving just behind the other girl so that she’d be between her opponent and the basket.
The point guard passed to her right. The teammate faked a pass back to the point guard, who quickly passed to the post player.
Shaena brought her hands up, trying to protect the net. But she couldn’t overcome her opponent’s height this time. The other post player, tall as she was, simply turned, shot, and scored over Shaena’s arms.
This is going be a tough one, Shaena thought as the ball fell through net.
The teams stayed neck-and-neck throughout the first quarter. They were both playing well — trading baskets, stealing passes, and making free throws when their players were fouled.
Although Springfield started to pull ahead in the second quarter, South wasn’t about to give up. By halftime, the score was tied 30–30.
The girls gathered in the locker room at halftime, sweating but feeling good. Coach Riley went over plays she wanted to try in the second half to fight off Springfield’s tough offense. Overall, though, she was happy with the team’s performance.
“Great job, Tigers! You’re keeping Springfield on their toes, and that’s just what I like to see,” she said. “One more half to go. Keep it up!”
As the team headed out of the locker room, Coach Riley took Shaena aside. “You’ve got three fouls, Shaena. Watch that. I don’t want one of my best players out of the game.”
“Got it, Coach,” Shaena replied. She had two fouls left before she fouled out of the game completely, but she wasn’t about to sit out the season’s first game.
As soon as the teams took the court, Shaena could tell the second half was going to be rough. Springfield was still as fast as ever, but the South players were tired and starting to make mistakes. When Marisol made a rare bad pass, Springfield’s point guard stole the ball for an easy layup. South was now down by three.
A few plays later, Shaena was once again playing defense behind the Springfield post player. Shaena crouched down behind the post, waiting for her to make a move.
You’re not scoring this time, thought Shaena.
The other post player caught the pass from the point guard. She still had her back to Shaena. Shaena shot her arm out and around in an attempt to steal the ball. But as she reached to swat the ball, the other player turned suddenly. Shaena’s hand bumped into the girl’s arm.
FWEEET! The referee blew his whistle and raised a closed fist in the air. “Foul!”
Shaena let out a frustrated sigh. She had just picked up her fourth foul.
Springfield made the inbound pass and went in for another layup. Christine tried to block the shot, but she moved too slowly. The ball fell smoothly into the net.
With the ball in South’s possession, Coach Riley signaled the referee for a time-out. The team quickly hustled over to the sideline.
“Okay, Tigers, get focused and catch your breath,” said Coach when everyone had gathered by her. “Springfield is staying energized, so we need to play smart and not wear ourselves out.”
The girls nodded. Many were sucking in deep breaths, but thanks to her practice and conditioning over the summer, Shaena was still feeling good.
Coach turned to Shaena. “Shaena, you’re close to fouling out. Do I need to bring in Jessie?” Usually, Coach pulled players with four fouls so that the team wouldn’t risk losing a player they might need in the very last minutes of the game.
“You have to keep me in, Coach,” Shaena pleaded. “I’ve got energy to spare. I promise I’ll be more careful.”
Coach Riley nodded. “All right. Keep your heads in the game, ladies, and let’s take back the court. Now, hands in the middle.”
Shaena squished next to Marisol and Annie as the team gathered in and stacked their hands.
“One, two, three —” yelled Coach.
“Go Tigers!” the girls shouted.
The teams got back into position. Annie stood outside of the thick black line that marked the edge of the court, ready to make the inbound pass. The referee tossed her the ball, and Annie immediately flicked it to Marisol, who bolted down the court with renewed energy.
Shaena faked to the left, breaking free of her defender. “Mari!” she shouted, raising her hand.
The ball flew into Shaena’s hands. She pivoted and took the shot, but the ball hit the front of the rim and bounced off hard.
Shaena sprinted after the rebound with the Springfield post right beside her. Each girl dived to the floor and slid across the hardwood on their stomachs, scrambling for the ball. But as they both reached for it, Shaena hesitated.
I can’t risk picking up that fifth foul! she thought.
Shaena hung back, and the other girl got her hand on the ball first.
As the two girls rushed to their feet, the other post player quickly pulled the ball toward herself. Her elbows shot out to the sides.
Before Shaena had time to react, the Springfield post’s elbow collided with her temple. Blinding pain exploded in Shaena’s head as she lost sight of the ball and fell to the hardwood floor.