Page 118 of Making It Count


Font Size:  

Shay smiled before she kissed Layne’s neck.

CHAPTER 38

Layne looked around and was actually glad there were no fans in the stands. There was already enough pressure on the players without them there, and if the place had been full, it would’ve been the largest crowd anyone at Dunbar had ever played in front of. That would make anyone nervous, and she was nervous enough already: they were playing the number one seed in the whole tournament. Their opponent had been the number one ranked team for most of the regular season, had won their conference, and had only lost two close games all year. This would be a real David and Goliath battle in which Layne wasn’t sure that Dunbar would come out on top.

“They’re faster, stronger, bigger, and you’re probably wondering if we even stand a chance,” Coach began.

“Well, I wasn’t, but I am now,” Hilton joked.

Coach rolled her eyes and said, “We have the better game plan. We just have to put it to work. We have to execute high-percentage shots, make our free throws, play tight defense, and not get into foul trouble. We’re ready for this. No one else has made it this far, so let’s show them why we’re here.”

They put their hands in and yelled, ‘Dunbar!’ before the starters walked out on the court.

“I don’t know about you, but I was ready for her to start in with, ‘Clear eyes. Full hearts. Can’t lose,’ there for a second,” Shay said.

Layne smiled over at her.

“You ready?” Shay asked then.

“I’m ready,” she replied.

Hilton lost the tip, which really wasn’t surprising. Their competitor tonight had the likely first pick in the draft, along with probable picks two through five. Or, at least, all of their starters would go in the first or second round at the latest. The only two games they’d lost that year had been due to COVID illnesses or injuries to those starters. Layne had been fully prepared to run more than she had all season, with how fast they all were. She got a dose of that with the very first play when the player she was guarding ran circles around her, shot a quick jumper, and made the easy two.

“Shit,” she whispered to herself.

“We’re okay,” Shay told her, probably hearing her, and placed her hand on Layne’s shoulder briefly before she went to inbound.

Shay called the play, and they shuttled the ball quickly from player to player until the zone defense was bouncing back and forth and unable to keep up with the speed of the ball. Layne shot a three, and it went in. She got a little of her confidence back then. They’d only played thirty-nine seconds so far, but Dunbar was up by one, at least.

The next several minutes, they went back and forth, with the other team hitting a two or a three and Dunbar hitting a two or a three. Dunbar kept their fouls in check, but so did their competition. With the amount of running back and forth, Layne was already feeling tired. Coach noticed and pulled her. Layne took a seat, grabbed some water, checked the clock and the score, and prepared to go back in as soon as Coach yelled for her.

“For Shay,” Coach ordered with one minute left on the clock in the first quarter.

Layne went in for Shay and took over at point to give her a rest. She passed to Ledger, who took a shot at the top of the key and made it. Going into the second quarter, they were all exhausted, and Dunbar was down by four. Layne looked around the chairs as they all breathed heavily and downed water and Gatorade to replace the sweat they’d lost.

“Stay with them,” Coach instructed. “No one has been able to do so, but we have. Keep taking good shots. Play tight D. We’re still in this. Stay with them until half. We’ll regroup then.”

With two minutes left in the second quarter, Shay hit a three, but the other team made two twos in a row. Layne hit a shot, got fouled, and then made her free throw, but the other team made a three. At the end of the half, they were still down by four.

Layne looked around the locker room during the break. They only played seven players usually, but Coach might need to let another bench player get in the game because things were looking bleak.

“Okay. How are we?” Coach asked. “Shay? Ankle?”

“Honestly, it’s a little sore.”

Layne looked over at her and watched as the trainer retaped the ankle for Shay.

“Can you play?” Coach checked.

“Yeah, but it’s going to get worse.”

“Layne?”

“Yes, Coach?”

“Can you handle more minutes when I need to give her breaks?”

“Yes,” she replied.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com