Play Their Hearts Out by George Dohrmann

Author:George Dohrmann [Dohrmann, George]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 978-0-345-52316-7
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2010-10-04T16:00:00+00:00

Near the midway point of the third quarter, Demetrius put back a miss by Aaron, tying the score at 29. There was nothing special about the play; he outleaped McDonald to grab the ball and flipped it in before McDonald could reset himself. But as the ball fell through the hoop, a wave of relief swept over Team Cal and its supporters. Demetrius had gone scoreless for more than sixteen minutes. If someone had told Harris or Keller that Demetrius would have only four points after two and a half quarters, both would have predicted that the War Eagles would be winning in a rout. But Team Cal was very much in the game, thanks to Rome and Aaron (six points apiece) and Roberto (five). But they needed Demetrius, and so when he finally ended his drought, the Team Cal parents yelled from the stands. A possession later, when Demetrius scored again on a drive to the basket, it looked as if he was on the verge of one of those magical stretches that always ended with a Team Cal victory. But Harris was too smart to let that happen. He ordered the War Eagles back into the soft-man defense from the first quarter designed to stop Demetrius.

Keller or Soderberg might have called a time-out and reminded the team how Rome had taken advantage of this strategy in the first half, but they seemed to not notice the change. They continually shouted for Demetrius or Aaron to get the ball when they no longer had the space to operate. After two short jumpers by a guard put the War Eagles up 33–31, all the energy generated by Demetrius’s brief scoring spurt evaporated.

Gary Franklin, Sr., sat two seats down from Keller, biting his lip, trying to urge on the boys without giving actual instructions. It had been that way since he and Gary joined Team Cal. He’d leap off his seat, ready to yell something to the players on the court, then catch himself and sit back down. During time-outs, he sought out certain boys and gave them advice. In the first half, he’d told Craig to look for Aaron cutting if he caught the ball low. Like clockwork, Craig got the ball right after he entered the game, saw Aaron cut, and threaded the ball into him for an easy layup. Before the start of the third quarter, he told Gary not to be afraid to go past his defender and right at McDonald. “He’ll go for the block. Protect the ball and finish strong, and you will at least get the foul.”

Something clicked in Gary as he brought the ball upcourt, his team trailing. As his defender approached, Gary noticed he was leaning toward the right, toward Demetrius’s side. So Gary burst past him on the left. He didn’t stop until McDonald crashed into him as he threw up a shot that just missed. The referee gave Gary the foul and he netted both free throws, despite loud hoots from the Memphis fans, several of whom banged on drums.

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