I was writing another short story and with the help of my amazing penpal (Shout out to Bethany! :D ) I came up with this ending of this short story.
Glory isn't what we should play sports for. We should play because we love the game and the people who we are playing with. I'm already starting to get ready for next basketball season. This summer I'm going to build my quickness, endurance and skills (shout out to my brother who has been helping me with that ;) ). I can't wait for next season, but I have to keep my thoughts like this: No matter what happens, shoot a game winner or not, make some awesome passes or not, have the best defense or not, God gets the glory and really it's what desicions you make on and off the court dealing with your attitude and character are what people will remember. Play for the glory...God's glory.
The Game Changing Decision
Here
it was. The Midwestern Association of Ladies High school Basketball
championship game was starting in five minutes. Warm ups were done and Alicia
and her team were talking to their coach in a circle. High-fives were being
given and last minute pointers were being said. This was what they had worked
hard for. The past four months this team had had lots of sweat, tears and yes,
blood too. Practices had been hard, lap after gruesome lap, and games had been
challenging. Some had been blowouts and some had been too close to call. But
here they were, at the game they had all looked forward to.
The
buzzer sounded. Alicia and the rest of the Eagles team lined up and placed
their hands behind their backs…O say does
that star spangled banner yet wave over
the land of the free and the home of the brave…
Teams were being announced as Alicia
took a deep breath. She was a senior and had played basketball since she was
six. She lived and breathed basketball. Definitely the best player on the team,
she had the coaches’ complete trust. Point guard. Leader. Lover of the game. They
called her name and the crowd went wild. Smiling, she shook the other coach’s
hand and rushed to the rest of her team.
Minutes
later they were all on the court and the refs were quietly testing their
whistles. Alicia gave her teammates thumbs up and rubbed her hands on her
shorts. Why was she so nervous? She knew she could do this. Her team was behind
her and she lived to make her teammates look better. Assists were her
specialty. She loved setting up her teammates and she was one of the best.
Leading the state in assists, Alicia had been featured in the papers many
times. Humbly, she would smile and thank the papers and all her “fans” but she
didn’t live for the glory. Just for the game.
The
championship game had finally started. Back and forth the scoring went. This
was going to be a great game. Alicia was eating it up. She would swish a three,
steal the ball and get an easy layup. One of the best plays of the night was committed
by a teammate, however. But they had been set up by the best point guard out
there. One of Alicia’s teammates had stolen the ball and passed it right up to
Alicia. She took off down the middle of the court. Because the defense got back
quickly, she didn’t see an opening to the basket so she started to pull the
ball out again. As she was turning, she saw a teammate hesitate and then take
off and streak down the middle of the lane to the basket. A behind the back no
look pass was all it took and Alicia’s team was up by two.
Half
time. The score was tied. This would be a game to remember. Coach was happy.
They were doing what they needed to. Some shots were not falling and they had
some sloppy passes which caused a few turnovers, but all in all they were doing
what they needed. Coach drew up a few more quick plays and reminded them to
keep their elbows in and stay balanced while they were shooting. They put their
hands together 1-2-3-Eagles! They
walked out of the locker room.
Second
half was starting. The last eighteen minutes of basketball many of these
players would play! They had to leave it all on the court. This was it.
The
other team came out fired up; blocking a shot and swishing two threes. Alicia
was breathing hard. She called for the ball at the top of the key. She caught
the ball and looked around. Thrusting her closed fist up into the air, she silently
called for a screen. A teammate came from the right and stopped a pace behind
Alicia’s defender. Alicia jab stepped to the left and dribbled right around her
teammate and the stopped defense. No one came and picked her so she went full
force down the open lane to the basket and made an easy layup. They were only
down by four now.
Minutes
ticked by and the game always seemed tied. If one team got up by a few points,
the other would come back from a timeout fired up even more and would easily
tie the game. Threes were being shot like neither team had seen. Both teams
confidence had skyrocketed. They were all working well as a team and no matter
what team won, this would be a game to remember. Screens were being set,
floaters were being done and fast break after fast break was happening.
Two
minutes left and the game was getting intense. Surprisingly, Alicia wasn’t
tired. At least not physically. She was mentally tired. Leading her team for
years, she wanted this win for her, her team and the fans so bad. She would
give it all to make sure that happened. Beautiful pass. Nice cut. The Eagles
were on fire and were up by four. One minute left.
Alicia
was on the top of the key guarding her girl very closely. The girl she was on
got the ball and Alicia got into her defensive stance. There was no way she was
going to let this girl get around her. Suddenly, a gasp, a scream and then
whistles stopped the game. Alicia turned and saw one of her teammates on the
floor clutching her ankle. The Eagles just lost their best post player. Helping
her off the court, her coach and manager of the team had their arms around the
best post player the Eagles had. This would be a game changer…
Another
post player came in. This new player on the court, Emily, was good but not as
good as the poor girl who was now on the bench crying and putting an icepack on
her already swollen ankle.
Thirty
seconds left. Eagles were up by two. Alicia had just made an amazing reverse
layup and was running down the sideline getting back on defense. They could
actually win this. One stop and it would be over.
Alicia
was on the point guard and almost fell for a fake pass. She had time to get
back in front of her girl, but it had its consequences: the girl had gotten off
a great pass to a post player. Emily tried to defend her, but the girl did a
beautiful hook shot that even the best post player wouldn’t have been able to
defend. The game was tied. Ten seconds left.
Time
out. Coach knew that a full court press was coming. He reminded them of their
press break and, with a smile, he told them to take a deep breath. Emily was
pale. Putting their hands together, the Eagles said a quick prayer and returned
to the court for the last ten seconds of the championship game.
Coach
was right; the full court press was fierce. After a blocked inbounds pass,
there was now nine seconds. Alicia knew every second counted. They set up again
and after a beautifully set screen, Alicia was now free and dashed down the
sideline with the ball now in her hand. They tried to foul her but she quickly
passed it away to the girl in the middle of the court who then passed it even
farther down the court. Alicia dashed to the top of the three point line and glanced
at the clock. Four seconds left. Knowing she was the best shot on the team, her
teammate passed it to Alicia and motioned for her to shoot. Alicia was going to
but two things stopped her. Before she had gotten the ball she had also glanced
around and saw all her teammates and only four defenders.
There
probably was one defender running up behind her.
The
second thing that stopped her was this: out of the corner of her eye she saw
Emily dashing to the baseline three point line. That was the shot Emily loved
to shoot in practice. No one knew why she took those shots in practice when she
was a post player. But maybe God was preparing Emily for this moment…
Alicia
had the ball in her hands. Should she shoot it and risk being blocked from
behind or pass it up to the open Emily?
Hesitation.
The
clock was ticking and Alicia’s heart was pounding out of her chest. She had
decided to take a risk. Alicia took one dribble to the side…grabbed the ball...glanced
at the clock…
And passed the ball up.
Emily
looked shocked that the ball was coming her way. Alicia gave Emily a look of
approval and of confidence. This literally was the game winning shot. The
defense had focused so much on Alicia that they had forgotten all about the
tall post in the corner. Two seconds left in the game. The defender behind
Alicia almost ran into her. Alicia would have been blocked for sure if she had
shot. It was now up to the trembling sophomore post player.
Emily
gulped. Took the ball in her hands…and shot. The buzzer sounded just as the
ball left Emily’s hands. Everyone held their breath. If this went in, the
Eagles would win. If not, years of practice may have been for nothing…
Silence.
Hearts
pounding.
The
ball was a foot from the hoop.
Was
it going to be too short?
Too
long?
No.
It was a perfect swish. The Eagles won and the crowd erupted as the young
player fell to her knees and burst into tears. Alicia was the first one on her
knees as well hugging and congratulating the trembling girl. The Eagles team
and fans surrounded the girl and she was soon thrust up into a throne of
people. They were chanting her name. Alicia would not be remembered as the one
who won the game. But she knew in her heart that that was ok.
She had made the game
winning decision.
Do Everything For The Glory Of The Lord. (1 Corinthians 10:31)
