December 28, 2009
The shouts of the crowd could be heard throughout the stadium watching the game that was taking place in the stadium. The lights on the court along with the sound of shoes squeaking on the floor let all the spectators know that a great game was underway on the court; if one looked at the scoreboard, they could see which game it was.
2nd Game National Division
Landstown High School VS South Laurel High School
The game had entered the last quarter and the final minutes, but the score was tight, currently being 48-45 in favor of Landstown, but clearly the advantage they had at the beginning of the 4th quarter had been lost once their star player Reggie Williams left the court due to an injury he suffered. Credit had to be given; Williams was undoubtedly a first-rate point guard in the game, practically controlling the pace of the game from the 1st minute the game began, which allowed his team to be ahead during almost the entire game.
Unfortunately, as good as he was, he could not keep the boat afloat on his own because, despite his greatest efforts, his teammates did not stop missing shots or defending the slim lead they had achieved, causing as a consequence all the offensive load to fall on his shoulders.
Then came the worst part: in the 3rd minute of the 4th quarter, Reggie had the ball and attempted an audacious dunk with all his strength, trying to slam the ball against the rim, but unfortunately while he was in the air, the South Laurel center jumped at the same time, pressing against him, causing him to lose balance in the air and fall in a bad way, causing his foot to turn at an unnatural angle.
As soon as he was on the ground, he instinctively took his hand toward his leg, giving a deep cry of pain and agony that resonated throughout the stadium. The reactions did not wait, with some people from the public taking their hands to their eyes and others to their mouths while the murmurs around began.
"Poor boy," said a man toward his group of friends who were sitting a few rows next to the Royals team. "I believe it," responded his friend, remembering with horror how his ankle had twisted in that play. "I hope he is well," added another gentleman sitting in front of them who had heard the conversation those two had.
The referee did not waste time and, with the whistle in his mouth, quickly made it sound to put the game on pause while the team doctor ran quickly to the court to evaluate the severity of the injury. But his gaze gradually became darker the more time he spent checking the injury until, with a look of pity, he made a signal to the coach, letting him know that he had to change players, at which the coach quickly pointed to a player sitting on the bench who took off his jacket and began quickly to warm up to be able to enter the court.
Under the gaze of all the spectators, they saw how Reggie was carried on shoulders by the team doctor, limping slightly toward his team's bench. Without knowing who started, a wave of applause began in one section, enveloping the entire stadium in a clear sign of support toward him, hoping that he would get better soon and that he can return to play soon.
Not a second later, the voice of the commentators did not wait.
"It is sad to have to leave a game that way," said Jerry, the commentator in charge of this tournament. "I believe it, Jerry," said his partner Logan, sharing the same look as all the spectators on the court. "Reggie Williams is the central piece of the entire Landstown team, leading them during almost the entire game until this injury took him out of the courts," Logan added, so that later on the court screens a summary of Reggie Williams' statistics so far could be seen.
Reggie Williams
20 points – 5 assists – 3 steals – 1 rebound
"He practically carries the team on his shoulders during the whole game," Jerry shared toward all the spectators who stopped for a moment to watch Reggie's statistics to date with attention. "Now it depends on the coach not to allow the advantage Reggie got them to vanish in the final minutes of the game," Jerry narrated while passing the voice toward Logan. "And not only that, but he must also see that the team's morale does not go through the floor due to Reggie's departure," he added, knowing that morale was something very important, especially in important tournaments like the one being played so far.
"How will the Landstown team get out of this? Let's find out soon," Jerry finished while his attention and that of all the people present returned to concentrate on the game that was happening at this moment.
What followed were the 3 free throws the referee granted to the Landstown team for the foul caused by the South Laurel player, but maybe it was the nerves, but the player in charge of throwing the shots missed the first shot, causing it to bounce off the backboard and fall out of the basket.
"Uhh," was the stifled sound the crowd exclaimed upon seeing that. "It seems that after Williams' departure due to injury, the team is anxious," Jerry added after seeing that shot.
After that came the next 2 free throws, which luckily the player managed to score, adding two valuable points for the team while they prepared to defend the advantage they had achieved in the last minutes that remained of the whole game.
Unfortunately for them, it seemed that Reggie's departure caused the South Laurel team to increase their attacks upon seeing an opportunity to reverse the score now that the most threatening player of the other team had left the court. With spirits through the roof, the South Laurel team attacked as if they were a pack of dogs, putting the Landstown team in a passive situation in which they had to defend the advantage that was gradually shrinking, leading them toward the situation that was being seen now on the court.
"They are lost," Aaron said more to himself than to the others, who like him believed that the Landstown team was doomed. "Don't even mention it, brother," Omar added quickly, being in agreement with the opinion his roommate had said. "The team is not the same," Corey joined the conversation, who was also sitting next to them watching the game with attention.
Murmurs and debates were heard all over the court about how the Landstown team was not the same without Reggie, who also looked on helplessly as the South Laurel team gradually shortened the lead his team had.
"It's not your fault," a voice suddenly said next to Reggie, which was the coach who had taken time to sit next to him to see his condition. "Coach, I..." Reggie was going to start saying but was interrupted by the coach's hand who gave him a serious look.
"Don't blame yourself; from the beginning you endured a lot of pressure in the game," with a look of apology on his face the coach began. "If only the team had someone else who shared the pressure with you, the situation could be different from now." With a helpless look on his face, the coach along with Reggie saw how the other team scored again, shortening the lead even more.
"Now just focus on recovering," the coach advised to stand up and try by all means to defend the lead they still had before it was too late. But wanting and doing are two very different things, and in a fast-moving sport like basketball, that is even more obvious.
Despite his best attempts, the coach could not maintain the lead the team had until the scoreboard reached 55-54, with Landstown in the lead by a single point and with the remaining time of 20 seconds with ball possession by South Laurel.
With the ball in possession, the South Laurel team did not waste time, passing the ball quickly to the point guard who quickly moved up with the ball based on dribbling and fast sprints, and then passed it to the small forward who was quickly blocked by the desperate Landstown players who cornered him in the corner.
Without being able to see a shot and seeing that the possession clock was still running, the small forward quickly tried to break through based on strength against the player in front of him, both colliding strongly. But before he lost balance, the small forward passed the ball quickly to the shooting guard, who had quickly approached in order to give support to the forward, receiving the ball while seeing his teammate fall to the ground due to the previous collision.
Quickly, the shooting guard did not waste time and ran toward the hoop before time ran out, even though the center was saturated with players. Seeing the shooting guard's intentions, the center did not waste time and set a screen for him to manage to open the slightest space so he could penetrate the hoop without problems.
"Advance," said the center quickly in the direction of the shooting guard, having gained a minimum space for him to enter under the hoop. Without any hesitation, he quickly dived into the small opening the center opened for him to thus be able to quickly release the ball under the hoop, causing all the people to pay attention to the ball which slowly went into the hoop, adding valuable points that made the score change.
55-56 current score South Laurel high in the lead by one
After that, like a cruel joke, the final buzzer sounded indicating the end of the game, causing the Laurel High players to quickly start celebrating in the middle of the court.
"And the game is over," Jerry said with an excited smile on his face after the last layup of the encounter. "The encounter was defined by a crucial layup by the South Laurel shooting guard that reversed the game, making the team win by the minimum with only one point."
"And it is no wonder, Jerry; after all, Landstown was dominating the entire encounter until Williams' unfortunate injury," Logan followed, narrating the end of the encounter while the celebration by the players continued.
"Let's move," Coach Arbitello said to his players. As soon as they heard those words, the players quickly stood up and followed the coach toward the locker rooms, knowing that the next game that would be played would be theirs against Villa Angela St. Joseph.
Going down from the stands and passing through a special hallway, they followed one of the managers who took them toward a basic locker room where there was a chalkboard in a corner and several lockers for the players to leave their belongings.
"It's here," said the manager once the door was opened. "You have one hour to be ready," he finished saying, checking his schedule and closing the door, giving privacy to the team.
Quickly the players chose their lockers while leaving their backpacks and preparing to dress and get ready for the game they were about to play. Seeing that the majority of the players were already dressed in the team gear, the coach cleared his throat, calling the players' attention. "One moment, guys," making the players quickly pay attention to him.
"First of all, this will be the starting lineup for the first game," he said, calling all the players' attention while quickly writing the names of the players on the chalkboard:
PG: Corey Edwards
SG: Omar Calhoun
SF: Maurice Barrow
PF: Aaron Reed
C: Dominykas Milka
Once he finished writing, the players' reactions were mixed, with some celebrating, others with looks of smugness, and others with frustration on their face.
"Remember what we discussed; be careful with Albert and follow the plan discussed," the coach emphasized, and then brought his fist toward the center followed by the players and the assistants.
"Royals on 3," he began. "1, 2, 3."
"Royals!!" they all shouted, taking their hands upward and leaving toward the court to warm up before the game.
Once they were near the tunnel, the sound of the crowd did not wait, anxious to see another game after that comeback by South Laurel. Instead of feeling nervous or in panic, Aaron was excited, knowing how important this tournament was that he was about to enter to play.
"Let the game begin," Aaron thought to himself, entering the court ready to warm up before the game.
Authors thought's
What did you think of today's chapter?
Don't forget to subscribe to my Patreon to get more than 10 chapters in advance! https://www.patreon.com/c/merchant17