"Defense! Defense! Defense!" The crowd chanted throughout the gym. Their claps and stomps against the bleachers echoed alongside their voices.
The scoreboard read 74-77 with two minutes left. Creekwood Academy was in the lead. The basketball was back in their possession. Malcolm Memorial High was now on their toes, desperate for a stop on the defensive end.
"Ball! Ball! Ball! Ball! Ball!" the players shouted out as they ran from one spot to another, closing out against the offensive players. The sound of their sneakers squeaking against the wooden court flooded the gym.
With a couple of passes, the ball had advanced up the court. It landed firmly in the hands of the lone forward standing in the corner. Triple threat, jab. He jabbed again, sweeping the ball down low as the opposing forward matched up to him. The defender's heels lifted from the ground, but another defender came rushing quick in his aid.
Seeing the trap approach, the forward raised up out of his triple threat, raised his elbows to his head, and passed the ball over the incoming defender. The pass swished through the air into the hands of the seventh ranked guard in the nation, Jaguan Wells. With no hesitation, the 6'4 guard placed the ball on the floor, beat his defender, and drove from the three-point line into the paint. The 6'9 center stepped up to cut him off as he picked up the ball and took one step forward.
Covering more ground than his new challenger, he began his second step. The center took another step and jumped, but it was too late...
Jaguan had beat him to the jump. He hovered above the air-borne defender and thrusted his arm forward, slamming the ball into the hoop. The bench stood up like an exclamation point. Their fans quickly drowned out the other fans with loud roars and claps. The score changed: 79-74. One minute and forty-eight seconds remained.
"Timeout!" Coach Washington yelled out.
The referee blew his whistle.
"Come on, boys!" Coach Washington yelled out, motioning with his hand for his players to gather around him. Grabbing them by the shoulders, he pulled them in closer; the gaze in his eyes, spearing and jarring like an eagle. "We are too far in this game to just throw it away." His voice dropped to barely above a whisper. "Alright, look," he peeked at the scoreboard, "we got less than two minutes left. Down by five. That's plenty of time to reel the game back in. Jaguan is hot. He's heating back up and pulling ahead for his team. For the rest of the game, I want y'all to cut him off on the perimeter and add pressure him the moment he gets the ball."
"Yes sir!" paraded throughout the huddle. Some players were louder than others, and others were silent in the face of adversity. Most of them nodded.
"Good! That's what I like to hear," Coach Washington cheered, clapping his hands. "Alright now, AJ," he grabbed the star point guard by his jersey, "we need you." The two's eyes locked. Tension sparked and surged throughout the group. "Everybody here is counting on you tonight. These fans, your teammates, the cheerleaders, the school... all of them are trusting you to lead the team tonight and handle that Wells boy. Go ahead and give him hell!"
The referee blew his whistle, indicating that time had ran out. The players from Creekwood Academy began walking back on to the court. They high fived each other as they returned to the court.
"Listen," Coach Washington told AJ. "This is your senior night. You determine the outcome, but what I really need from you right now is to deny Wells the ball as much as possible."
AJ nodded. A strong resolve burned in his eyes.
"Alright, good!" Coach Washington patted him on the back and nudged him back onto the court.
Alright... AJ gathered his thoughts. We're down five. A minute and forty-eight left on the clock. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes as the referee handed Luka the ball.
The whistle blew. AJ opened his eyes. He dashed to the ball with Jaguan trailing behind. Quickly, AJ planted his foot down and launched to his left. The ball flew out of Luka's hand and right in front of AJ's line of motion.
Catching the ball, AJ extended his arm out in front of him and dribbled it. He pushed off of his backfoot and rushed up the court. A trap was coming quickly. Jaguan was catching back up to him and the defender beside him was gaining speed. The pair closed in on AJ.
Taking another stride, AJ extended his body as far as it could go. The ball loosely dangled away from his fingertips. The guard beside him reached for it, but AJ quickly reeled the ball closer inside his own reach and then pushed forward, leaving the defender behind.
Gasps escaped from members of the crowd. Everybody, whether they were rooting for one team or the other, was engaged. They either clapped, cheered, or watched eagerly from the bleachers with the exception of a few being on their phone or caring less.
"Let's go, Fifteen!" AJ's mom screamed out from the bleachers. She was standing up and cheering.
With two defenders backcourt, Malcolm Memorial High had the advantage in numbers. Nearly tripping on his own speed, AJ stumbled past the next defender. He lifted his head and began gathering the ball with his right hand. For a split-second, he saw the white-colored jersey of his center flash behind the recovering defender. He lifted his arm to throw the ball...
Another defender dashed in the pathway of the pass, waiting to intercept it. The ball began to roll up AJ's fingertips. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Cameron sprinting deep into the paint while pointing up.
The ball flew out of AJ's hand. Cameron jumped; the 6'7 forward caught the pass and cocked it back as he soared through the air. Flushing the dunk down, he hung on the rim before landing back on the ground.
"Aye!" he screamed out. His fists were balled and veins sprouted out of his arms.
The players on Malcolm Memorial High's bench rose from their seats. They jumped up and down. Some of them clapped. Others cheered and reenacted the dunk.
"Yessir!" one of them hollered out.
The crowd drowned out their enthusiasm with louder cheers. Their claps echoed off the walls of the gym.
"Show time!" a student hyped the dunk up. He fell back, trusting his friends to catch him.
"Atta boy!" Cameron's father yelled out and clapped.
"That's what I like to see, Junior!" his wife screamed out.
Coach Miller's face churned with a quick flare of his temper. He took a deep breath and exhaled out as his team inbounded the ball. The scoreboard read 76-79; Creekwood Academy barely had a lead and anything could happen in the next minute and a half.
Coach Miller took a look back at the bench. His eyes pondered briefly over each player he looked at. He looked back at the court and then the scoreboard. A minute and twenty-four seconds remained until the game's conclusion. He walked over toward the middle of the bench and patted one of his players on the shoulder.
"Come on," he said. The player stared blankly for a moment before getting up. "You nervous?" Coach Miller asked as he pulled the boy to the side.
"No sir."
"Good," Coach Miller responded as he looked him in the eyes. "This is your opportunity to prove yourself. You think I haven't been noticing, but you've improved a lot in practice... all of the effort and intensity you bring on defense. Now's your time. I need you to go in for Ricardo. Keep the ball in front of you and don't allow the defense to collapse like it just did, Alright?" His voice was soft and clear but assertive like a leader on the frontlines of a battlefield.
Coach Miller patted the player on his shoulder one more time before nudging him in the direction of the score table.
"Defense!" Malcolm Memorial High's bench players chanted. They stomped their feet and clapped. "Defense!" they repeated. The intensity of their chant grew as fans across the gym chimed in. "Defense!"
Damn, AJ thought as he chased behind Jaguan. Jaguan continued running across the three-point line until he caught the ball. Catching back up to him, AJ slid his feet and jumped in front of Jaguan. Jaguan jabbed to his right, sweeping the ball low before it bringing it back high. He turned his back slightly as AJ pressed up on him.
"Defense... Defense... Defense!" The crowd continued to chant.
Jaguan tilted his head and looked down on AJ. The 6'4 guard shimmied to the left before ripping the ball across his body and spinning to the right. He dribbled to the baseline, sticking his off-hand on AJ to protect the ball. Snatching the ball back, he killed most of his momentum. AJ planted his feet to a firm stop. Jaguan dribbled again, blowing past AJ. He took two steps and started rising up. Desperate, AJ took a large step, gathered his feet, and launched himself at the ball as it rolled off Jaguan's fingers.
The ball glided near the rim as it barely scraped past AJ's fingers. AJ extended his arm as far as he could. Barely touching the ball, he pulled it down and sent it falling out of motion. He tried to catch himself from falling as he landed promptly on his right foot and tumbled to the ground. Wincing, he grabbed his ankle and let out a small groan.
The ball landed out of bounds, and the referee blew his whistle. The clock stopped; a minute and eight seconds remained. All of the players began setting up for the inbound. Luka and Ethan hurried over to AJ. They extended their arms out to him.
"You good?" Luka asked as AJ grabbed his hand.
"Yeah," AJ said in a low voice. His right foot was raised off the ground as he stood on one leg.
"You positive, man?"
The Buzzer from the score table went off, announcing the arrival of a new player. Ryker walked onto the court, motioning for the other Creekwood Academy guard to come out of the game. The two players exchanged a quick dap and exchanged places.
"Yeah," AJ said. He put his foot back on the ground, tapped it a bit, and jumped up and down. "Just need to walk it off," he said, looking down at the ground.
"Alright. Just lock up at top, I got your help down low," Ethan told him.
AJ nodded.
One of the referees walked to the side of the court with the ball in her hands. Standing out of bounds, she stopped beside the inbounder for Creekwood Academy. Her head turned slightly as she did a quick sweep over the court. She extended the ball out to her side and handed the player next to her the ball.
The whistle blew, and the players on the court scrambled. Each offensive player spread around the court. Their defensive counterparts followed. Jaguan planted his foot, turned around, and launched from inside the three-point line to the outside. His center closed in, setting a pick as AJ followed.
Brushing the shoulder of the massive center, AJ winced. Tempting to flinch and close both eyes, he went into high alert as he noticed the distance between him and Jaguan growing. Jaguan had just finished curling to his spot. The ball was within a fingertip's grasp.
AJ tripped over the screen. The moment his hands touched the ground, he launched off his back foot with a desperate burst of energy. He sprung in front of Jaguan and contested the shot as Jaguan began to shoot the three ball.
The ball spun through the air and softly dropped onto the rim. Players crowded underneath the goal, waiting. The ball slowly spun around the rim before falling out. Ethan, boxing out the opposing big man, jumped at the ball. He snatched it out of the air with one hand and secured it with the loud slap of his other hand.
"There we go! Way to box out, Ethan!" Coach Washington yelled out and clapped.
"Let's go!" one of the bench players yelled out.
Ethan pivoted, nudging his shoulder into his defender as the defender pressed up on him.
"Look up! Look up!" the bench screamed out.
AJ was already running down court, too far for anyone to touch him. Ethan looked up, catching AJ for a brief second. The big gave a slight push into his defender before dribbling the opposite way. He grabbed the ball and pushed it over all of the other defenders and right in front of AJ.
AJ dribbled the ball once. He turned his head briefly away from the goal. Only one defender was nearby. Ryker was closing the gap between them fast. AJ looked back at the goal. He took one last hard dribble, gathered the ball, and exploded up with a two quick steps. He leaned in the air as he threw his right hand forward. The ball flew out of his hand and into the goal as he hung onto the rim before landing.
"That's what I'm talking about!" AJ's mom shouted. "Go, Fifteen!"
AJ backpedaled to defense. He clapped his hands before giving a quick shout. His teammates hi-fived him.
"Yes indeed!" Luka cheered, dapping up AJ. "That's what I like to see, baby!"
"Good shit, bro," Cameron said.
Creekwood Academy ran up the court with Jaguan leading the way. He slowed down and waited for his teammates to get to their spots. He stuck his finger in the air before waving off both people to the side of him.
"Let's go Mutineers!" The cheerleaders screamed out. "Lock them up!" They chanted repetitively with a couple of stomps and claps in-between. "Lock them up! Lock them up!"
"Iso, Iso," Jaguan called out as he stuck out the rest of his fingers.
His team spread out across the three-point line; each corner and wing spot was filled. Jaguan dribbled. He went in between his legs and then crossed. He repeated this motion as he walked closer to AJ.
"I got your help! Left side, Left side!" Domonique yelled out to AJ.
"You might as well just give me the lane," Jaguan taunted. He smiled before crossing over and exploding to his left. AJ followed, barely giving a gap. Jaguan hesitated; the ball floated under his hand as if he was going to pick it up and shoot. Biting the hesitation, AJ scooted up closer, and Jaguan rushed past him.
Ethan crashed inside, leaving his man open. Jaguan tucked the ball to his side. He knew the corner was open for a three if he dished it out. Ethan was closing in fast. Jaguan finished his last step. He was about to rise up but was suddenly grounded as he felt the ball come from underneath him.
AJ ripped the ball out of Jaguan's hands and rushed down for another fastbreak opportunity. Ryker and another guard jumped in front of him. The first guard reached, getting blown in the dust, but Ryker stayed disciplined and followed alongside AJ.
The two guards led the way as everybody else ran to catch up. Despite the body in front of him, AJ had barely slowed down. Advancing up the court, he dribbled between his legs twice to try and shake off Ryker before throwing in a hesitation and driving right.
"Woo!" a cheerleader hollared.
AJ gathered the ball. He cuffed it between his arm and his chest, stepped into Ryker, stepped forward, and then jumped.
Ryker jumped, but it was no good. AJ had already asserted himself in perfect position to score. The guard had risen up and finished strong against the backboard. The ball rolled off the glass and into the basket.
"Time out!" Coach Miller yelled out.
The scoreboard read 80-79: a one-point game. Malcolm Memorial High took the lead with forty-two second left.
"Alright, bring it in guys," Coach Washington greeted his players. He hi-fived them before doing a fist pump and letting out a small shout. "Let's go! That's what I'm talking about, boys!" He clapped his hands. "Good job on the defensive end guys. Defenseâ"
"Wins games," everybody finished the sentence.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, Coach. We done heard this a thousand times, already," Cameron laughed, shaking his head.
"Well, am I wrong?" Coach Washington laughed back.
"Guess not," Ethan said, "but can we talk about that dime I dropped earlâ"
"Alright now, guys. Let's focus," Coach Washington said. His smile dropped off the front of his face. "We got less than a minute less to seal the deal. I need everybody to play defense. Help everybody, but leave nobody open!"
Coach Miller looked down. He stood erect with his hands on his hips as his players surrounded. He sighed.
"80... to 79," he said, still looking down. "You boys haven't scored in over a minute. Not to mention, we threw away a five-point lead, but now we have to fight for our lives." Coach Miller looked up, noticing Jaguan and a few other players holding their heads down. "Pick your damn heads up!" He gave a quick, two loud claps. "This game is far from over! And I'd be damned to let my players just throw away a game like this." He looked at Jaguan. "Score the damn ball or pass it if you're going to pass. Fifteen is not matching you on offense!" his voice trailed off. "So, either take him or create an opportunity for your teammates to score."
"Yes sir," Jaguan said silently, picking his head up and nodding.
Coach Miller looked at Ryker. He could sense the nervousness but fierce determination beating inside of the boy. He grasped Ryker's shoulder and leaned over into his face.
"This is your time. Prove me right, and be ready to shoot. Alright?" He whispered.
"Yes sir," Ryker said silently.
"Good," he patted Ryker on the back. Returning his attention to the rest of the players, he spoke, "New game plan! Jaguan take that boy, Fifteen, off the dribble. If you have a nice look at the goal, take it, but if the help side closes in too much, I want you to kick it to Ryker. His man on the right wing is biting the help side a little too much. Take advantage of that. Exploit it."
Coach Miller clapped his hands and motioned for his players to return to the court. Malcolm Memorial High was also leaving their huddle and heading back to the hardwood. The referees dispersed. One of them remained on the side, and the other went to the baseline to help inbound the ball. She grabbed the ball, handed it to the player, and blew her whistle. The clock began running again.
The ball flew out of the inbounder's hands and into Jaguan as Jaguan blitzed away from his defender. Ryker stood nearby, waiting in case he needed to help bring the ball up the court. AJ recovered back in front of Jaguan. Luka joined beside him. The two waited for the guard to make his move, itching for a defensive stop.
Jaguan looked at Ryker. He motioned for the guard to move further downcourt and to the side, near out of bounds. As Ryker moved, he waited for Luka to drop back and create an opening in which he could dribble past the two guards in front of him.
Palming the ball with both of his hands, Jaguan pumped it toward Ryker. Luka jabbed back a bit. Jaguan dribbled forward, and Luka scurried to the ball. Following Luka, AJ closed in. The clock kept running, counting down every second: thirty-seven seconds left.
Jaguan stepped back. Retreating with the ball, he pushed forward left before crossing over and rushing up the court to his right. The two defensive guards ran up the court. AJ ran alongside him and Luka rushed back to his spot in the half-court set.
"We want that ball! So, get that ball! Let's take it away!" the cheerleaders cheered.
Jaguan snatched back, pacing himself and allowing the defense to match up to the offense.
"Five out." He yelled out, holding his hand out. Continuing his advance, he dribbled back at AJ. He sized his defender up with an in-between the legs crossover before throwing the ball to his left and returning it with a swift crossover to his right. AJ shot a quick wince as he followed on the hip of Jaguan.
"We want that ball! So, get that ball! Let's take it away!" the cheerleaders continued.
Entering inside the perimeter, Jaguan drove hard. Domonique shifted over, trying to stop Jaguan in his tracks. Jaguan took one more step, almost running into Domonique, and swooped the ball behind his back.
Ryker caught the pass. Standing naked at the perimeter, he rose up immediately. His eyes locked in on the rim as he released the ball. His arms stood in place as he held his follow-through. The net swished.
A look of defeat battered away at Domonique's face. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open as he turned his head. The numbers on the scoreboard changed. "Away" had stolen the game back with less than a mere twenty seconds remaining, and the clock was still running, halting for nobody.
Cameron rushed down the court, stopping at half court. He put his head down for a second and shook it in disbelief before raising it back up. Ethan began fumbling to pick the ball up. The clock was still ticking.
"Hurry, hurry!" Luka ushered him as the defense began setting up a hard press behind them.
AJ rushed to the ball as Ethan threw it. Clasping the ball, AJ pivoted. He looked up the court: two defenders in the frontcourt with the remaining three in the backcourt. One of them matched behind Cameron, attempting to take the pass away.
"Defense!" the fans of Creekwood Academy chanted. "Defense!" Some of them stood up while the rest stomped on the ground and bleachers before them. "Defense!"
AJ dribbled. He kept his head high and his body low. The ball followed like it was attached to a string. Ryker, pumped up and eager, matched up to him. Jaguan waited nearby, matching up to Luka.
"Let's go, Mutineers! Let's go!" the cheerleaders cried out, jumping up and down. "M-U-T-I-N-E-E-R-S! Let's go, Mutineers! Let's go!" They tried to drown out the opposing cheers, adding claps to amplify their voices.
AJ dribbled the ball up. He gave it a good shake as he suspended his momentum with a strong hesitation. Quickly, he spun and sent the ball soaring to his left hand. The ball danced as he followed up with two quicker crossovers between his legs.
Ryker did his best to follow but had got shaken up and flew behind. Jaguan trailed, trying to close in on AJ as the next defender stepped up. Cameron hopped back, creating a pocket to pass to as his defender left. The two defenders trapped AJ near one end of half-court, but he had already passed it.
The ball bounced between the defenders and into Cameron's hands. He turned around. Adrenaline flooded his senses. His heart was beating fast, and the crowd was louder than ever. They were roaring for the indefinite outcome of the game.
AJ cut in front of him. He passed the ball to AJ and dropped from the three-point line near the basket.
"Let's go AJ! Let's go!" the Malcolm Memorial High fanbase chanted.
AJ pivoted, tucking the ball deep against his stomach as everybody else ran up the court. Ryker stood in front of him. His arms were spread out and his chest poked out proudly as he squatted into an assertive defensive stance.
"Take him!" Cameron's parents yelled out.
"He can't hold you!" a student yelled from the crowd.
AJ placed the ball on the floor. He kept his dribble low and steady. Staring into the eyes of his defender, he walked down the court. His defender was stiff, yet agile, but AJ was faster. AJ pounded the ball hard across his body, barely moving with it. Returning the ball to his right hand, he crossed back over, getting lower than before. He stretched his body to the right before throwing the ball between his legs and crossing back over to his right hand.
Nearly freezing his defender, he created a pocket of space. It was just enough for him to rise up. Ryker followed. Refusing to accept defeat, his body lunged up, barely avoiding AJ. His hand missed the ball but he got a strong contest on the shot. AJ fell to the ground. His eyes refused to blink in the heat of the moment. They hovered with the soaring basketball.
The ball flew high in the air. It began dropping as the buzzer announcing the end of the game screeched across the gym. Everybody in the gym stood up, awaiting the outcome of the game. Eagerly, they watched as the ball fell promptly into the rim and bounced out. A small silence swept through the gym. Most chatter had ceased and all attention was directed at the court. The sound of the basketball hitting the floor and bouncing to a roll broke the small silence. Cheers emerged and cries of defeat followed as the gym erupted in mixed emotions.
"It's okay, baby!" AJ's mom shouted out. A look of wandering optimism encompassed her face.
AJ took a deep breath as he folded his arms behind his head and laid back against the floor. He turned his head to the side of the fans. His mom and some of the other parents were sitting toward the left side of the bleachers. Members of faculty, students, and other people he recognized were scattered across: bottom, top, right, leftâbut mostly in the left area. However, his eyes were stuck toward the middle of the fans, looking directly at a small crowd of Creekwood Academy students and parents. The group was getting up, and as they left, AJ noticed a man who was sitting behind him.
The man, clearly an adult, held a resemblance to AJ. His face was more mature with his bottom half sprouting a small goatee that added a nice layer of maturity to it. His dark brown eyes held a soft gaze that spoke a long story of pain and lessons. Lastly, he had long brown dreadlocks that were tied back and hung barely past his shoulders.
"Bubba," AJ mumbled. He could feel the air leaving his lungs as he uttered the word. A small lump traveled down his throat. Time had almost frozen for the two. AJ's eyes barely watered; a clean gloss coated them.
"AJ," Cameron called out.
AJ shook his head and looked at Cameron, dazed. He looked back over to where his brother had been sitting. He was gone.
"Come on," Cameron said. "Game's over. No use pouting."
"Yeah," Luka said, walking by. "Good shot, but we should go. Coach wants to speak to us before we call it a night."
Cameron helped AJ off of the ground. He gave him a pat on the back and walked ahead. AJ followed; he lagged behind. A feeling of disappointment and grief weighed on him. He looked over in the direction of his brother once again. Nothing...