Chapter 9
PJ didn’t quit the basketball team when he got to school on Tuesday, but during practice that afternoon, he wished he had. He managed to sink a couple of shots, but he still felt really nervous with everyone watching him.
When game day came around on Thursday, he was sure the coach would keep him benched. But he was wrong. He started, like he always did.
“Are you sure, Coach T?” PJ asked as the other four starters got on the court. “I’ve been choking a lot.”
“I’m sure,” the coach said. “Get out there, okay?”
PJ shrugged and went to center court for the jump ball.
The ref blew his whistle, then tossed the ball up. PJ was much taller than the center from East Harrington, and he won the jump easily. He got his whole hand on the ball and knocked it right to Isaac, the point guard. Then he ran up the court and took his place at the bottom of the key.
Isaac held up two fingers on his right hand, then cut to his left. PJ knew that meant he would look for Dwayne at the top of the key.
PJ moved to the top of the lane to set up a pick just as Dwayne caught the pass and started to drive toward the hoop. PJ stood right in the way of Dwayne’s defender and Dwayne made the layup easily. The score was 2-0, Wildcats.
The whole first half went well. PJ got a lot of rebounds, and scored eight points from the floor. When the second half started, the Wildcats were up by ten points.
In the second half, PJ quickly got the ball. He passed it to Isaac, but then everything started going wrong.
Isaac tried to find Dwayne when he cut across the key, but the pass was blocked. When the East Harrington player started driving quickly back down the court, Isaac chased him on defense.
Under the Wildcats basket, Isaac jumped to try to block the East Harrington player’s layup, but he didn’t reach it. Instead he landed on his side, out of bounds. The coach and the school nurse ran over to him.
“It’s not serious,” the nurse said, “but it will be a nasty bruise. He should sit out the rest of the game.”
The coach sighed and waved to the bench. The second-string point guard would have to play.
From then on, the Wildcats really had to struggle. PJ worked hard under the boards and got a few rebounds, but several plays fell apart. The second-string point guard didn’t know them as well, and his passes weren’t quite as smooth as Isaac’s usually were.
With only a few seconds left, the Wildcats were down by one point. Dwayne Illy took a hard drive through three defenders. The ball got knocked out of his hand, and right into PJ’s, under the basket.
PJ pumped once, then jumped up and tried to lay the ball in. But two defenders came down on his arm and knocked him to the wood.
The whistle blew.
PJ’s heart nearly stopped. His team was down by one, and he was about to go to the line. Again!