Silver Wind by Donald James Parker

Author:Donald James Parker [Parker, Donald James]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sword of the Spirit Publishing
Published: 2011-01-05T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

The first opponents for the girls team were the defending district champions. With three of their starters back and several key reserves returning, the champs were considered a shoo-in by the locals to spoil Peter’s debut as the Coyote coach. The local crowd that showed up at the gym for the first game was small. The opponents brought more fans than the home team. As the team, warmed up, Peter remarked about the small turnout to the student manager.

“People around here are expecting us to lose. If we start winning, people will come.”

Peter nodded and watched Mary White Bull stagger in. It appeared she was high on something. She looked Peter's way, and when she saw he was looking at her, held up her middle finger. He turned back to watch the opponents warm up.

When the team returned from the locker room after the pregame warm-up, they huddled in front of the bench. Peter put his hand into the circle and they all put their hands on top of his. “We're ready for these girls. Let's surprise them immediately. Little Dove, I want you sneaking towards our basket to intercept the opening tip. Score it and then throw the press on immediately. Alright, on three. One. Two. Three.”

The entire unit synchronized on a chant of “team.” They broke the huddle, and the starters took the floor. Peter sat down and said one last prayer that no one would get hurt and that they would not be embarrassed.

As soon as the ball left the referee’s hand, Little Dove streaked toward the Coyotes basket. The coach’s guess on where the tip would go was correct, and Little Dove arrived just in time to intercept it. She grabbed it on the run and drove to the hoop. The other girl banged into her just as the shot went up. It rolled in and the Lady Coyotes had the lead. Little Dove drained the free throw increasing the lead to three. Peter's team immediately positioned themselves to challenge the opposition when they brought the ball up court. Naomi anticipated a pass and filled the lane in time to intercept it. She drove up to the three point line, stopped, and let fly. A roar went up from the home crowd and the ball barely rippled the net as it went through. The press went on again. This time they tried to pass the ball over Little Dove. She went up high and snared the ball. She drove the ball into the paint, pivoted, and passed the ball back to Naomi. Another three pointer went airborne and again the ball drew nothing but net. The crowd stood up to cheer when the opposing coach called time out.

Peter looked up at the clock. His team led nine to nothing and less than a minute had elapsed. “Now whatever you do, don't let up. These guys were taken by surprise. Now they're going to know they're in a dogfight and things are going to get tougher. Just don't relax and keep the pressure on.

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