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Authors: Matt Christopher
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on defense. Don’t be selfish on offense.” Teamwork: that was the name of the game.
He had drilled the Rangers in man-to-man defense, where each Ranger guarded one opponent, and zone defense, in which each
player was responsible for part of the court. He had them work on what he called their “secret weapon,” a combination of zone
and man-to-man in which Lynn guarded Tony Tisdale while the other four Rangers stayed in a zone defense. Everyone had worked
hard, and Daren felt that the Rangers were as ready for this game as they could be.
The coach hadn’t said anything to Daren about his new attitude, but there had been no further talk about benching him, either.
Coach Michaels hadn’t wasted time talking about the importance of this game. He didn’t have to. All the Rangers knew that,
if they lost today, their season would end after the next game; they would not make the league playoffs. But if they won today,
they were
in
.
Somewhere in the stands, Daren knew, were his parents, although he hadn’t located them yet. His dad had taken off early from
work to be here. Most of the Ranger moms and dads were here today, even the ones who, like Mr. McCall, often had to miss games
because of work. Lou’s dad was there, though Mrs. Bettman was still in the hospital.
Daren knew that it would really psych him up, having friends and family in the stands.He hoped that would inspire the rest of the team to play their best, too.
Of course, he knew that the Rebels also had friends and family out there, which was probably going to inspire
them
, making the two teams even in that department.
The buzzer sounded and the teams left the floor to hear final words from their coaches before the opening tip. The Rangers
grouped themselves in front of Coach Michaels. The coach had to raise his voice to be heard above the crowd.
“Remember, I want you to play a running game today. They like to play a half-court game, to walk the ball over the mid-court
line and to take it easy getting back on defense. We don’t want to let them do it. I think we can tire these guys out, and
that we have a better bench than they do. Without Tisdale or Capp on the court, the Rebels are a different team, so let’s
see if we can makethose two run out of gas. Look for fast-break opportunities, make them work to get the ball into their offensive zone. And
watch me for defensive signals, to know when to switch from man into zone defense. You’ve worked hard for this one, so go
out there and earn yourself a spot in the playoffs. Let’s see those hands!”
The Rangers formed a circle, with all the players’ hands clasped in the middle. The coach put his hand in, too. “Ready to
play?”
“Yeah!”
the Rangers shouted, and clapped their hands.
The Rebels controlled the ball to open the game and got it to Drew Capp. Daren moved in behind him, hands high. Capp faked
a shot, then flipped a pass to Tony Tisdale, who threw in a jumper that hit nothing but net.
As Lynn grabbed the ball to put it in bounds, Daren sprinted downcourt. Lynn’sinbound pass was handled by Lou, who threw it to Daren. The Rebel defense had been caught by surprise, and Daren laid in
an easy two-pointer to tie the game. Daren smiled to himself. Tony Tisdale was going to have to do some serious running today
to keep up with him.
The game stayed even for the first several minutes. At one point, the Rebels managed to take a three-point lead, but the Rangers
came back and went up by one. Drew Capp scored a few baskets, but Lou scored as well. He threw in two fall-away jumpers that
Drew couldn’t block or stop. On Lou’s second basket, Capp fouled him, and Lou sank the free throw.
With the score tied midway through the first half, Tony Tisdale tried to drive the lane. Daren planted himself in his path,
and Tisdale rammed into him.
“That’s a charge on number twelve, red!” the ref yelled. “White ball!”
The Rebels raced back on
He had drilled the Rangers in man-to-man defense, where each Ranger guarded one opponent, and zone defense, in which each
player was responsible for part of the court. He had them work on what he called their “secret weapon,” a combination of zone
and man-to-man in which Lynn guarded Tony Tisdale while the other four Rangers stayed in a zone defense. Everyone had worked
hard, and Daren felt that the Rangers were as ready for this game as they could be.
The coach hadn’t said anything to Daren about his new attitude, but there had been no further talk about benching him, either.
Coach Michaels hadn’t wasted time talking about the importance of this game. He didn’t have to. All the Rangers knew that,
if they lost today, their season would end after the next game; they would not make the league playoffs. But if they won today,
they were
in
.
Somewhere in the stands, Daren knew, were his parents, although he hadn’t located them yet. His dad had taken off early from
work to be here. Most of the Ranger moms and dads were here today, even the ones who, like Mr. McCall, often had to miss games
because of work. Lou’s dad was there, though Mrs. Bettman was still in the hospital.
Daren knew that it would really psych him up, having friends and family in the stands.He hoped that would inspire the rest of the team to play their best, too.
Of course, he knew that the Rebels also had friends and family out there, which was probably going to inspire
them
, making the two teams even in that department.
The buzzer sounded and the teams left the floor to hear final words from their coaches before the opening tip. The Rangers
grouped themselves in front of Coach Michaels. The coach had to raise his voice to be heard above the crowd.
“Remember, I want you to play a running game today. They like to play a half-court game, to walk the ball over the mid-court
line and to take it easy getting back on defense. We don’t want to let them do it. I think we can tire these guys out, and
that we have a better bench than they do. Without Tisdale or Capp on the court, the Rebels are a different team, so let’s
see if we can makethose two run out of gas. Look for fast-break opportunities, make them work to get the ball into their offensive zone. And
watch me for defensive signals, to know when to switch from man into zone defense. You’ve worked hard for this one, so go
out there and earn yourself a spot in the playoffs. Let’s see those hands!”
The Rangers formed a circle, with all the players’ hands clasped in the middle. The coach put his hand in, too. “Ready to
play?”
“Yeah!”
the Rangers shouted, and clapped their hands.
The Rebels controlled the ball to open the game and got it to Drew Capp. Daren moved in behind him, hands high. Capp faked
a shot, then flipped a pass to Tony Tisdale, who threw in a jumper that hit nothing but net.
As Lynn grabbed the ball to put it in bounds, Daren sprinted downcourt. Lynn’sinbound pass was handled by Lou, who threw it to Daren. The Rebel defense had been caught by surprise, and Daren laid in
an easy two-pointer to tie the game. Daren smiled to himself. Tony Tisdale was going to have to do some serious running today
to keep up with him.
The game stayed even for the first several minutes. At one point, the Rebels managed to take a three-point lead, but the Rangers
came back and went up by one. Drew Capp scored a few baskets, but Lou scored as well. He threw in two fall-away jumpers that
Drew couldn’t block or stop. On Lou’s second basket, Capp fouled him, and Lou sank the free throw.
With the score tied midway through the first half, Tony Tisdale tried to drive the lane. Daren planted himself in his path,
and Tisdale rammed into him.
“That’s a charge on number twelve, red!” the ref yelled. “White ball!”
The Rebels raced back on
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