perimeter as the bigger players tried to get open.
Finally the ball went to Jared. He had good position, but with two fouls already, he seemed uncharacteristically timid. Instead of driving to the hoop, he bounced the ball to Dunk. Dunk grabbed it, pivoted, and laid the ball off the backboard and in.
“ That’s what we need,” Coach yelled. “Keep working in there.”
And as always seemed to happen, Dunk immediately felt better when he made his first good move, whether it was a rebound, a blocked shot, a layup. He did belong out there after all.
Lincoln continued its accurate shooting and led 18-9 after one quarter. Dunk went to the bench and Louie took his place. Lamont subbed for Willie, making the Hornets’ lineup a bit taller.
Coach leaned forward on the bench as the second quarter got under way. “Stay alert,” he said, looking at Dunk. “You’ll be right back in there.”
And when Fiorelli got fouled a couple of minutes later, Coach sent Dunk back in for Louie. Lincoln was still ahead by nine.
Fiorelli made the free throws, and Willie made a nice steal in the backcourt, leading to Spencer’s layup. The momentum had shifted in a hurry. Suddenly the Lincoln players looked frustrated.
“Our gym!” Spencer called as the Hornets hustled back on defense. “This is our house.”
Hudson City eventually whittled the lead down to three, and the half-full bleachers came to life. “DE- fense !” came the cry. “DE- fense !”
Dunk was sweating heavily. He leaned into his opponent, keeping him away from the basket, as Spencer and Willie swarmed all over the Lincoln point guard.
The ball flew into the paint; Jared stepped up and blocked the center’s path. The shot went up, but Jared was all over it, swatting it out-of-bounds as the Hornet fans cheered.
But then came the whistle. Jared’s third foul.
“No!” Jared said, shaking his head in disgust and looking toward the ceiling. “I got all ball.”
But the referee had seen it differently. The Lincoln player made both free throws. Hudson City took another timeout.
Dunk looked at the scoreboard: 26-21. Still nearly three minutes until halftime.
“We’re switching to a zone,” Coach said as they gathered at the bench. “Jared, sit. You can’t afford a fourth foul this half. I want Dunk and Louie underneath; Spencer, Miguel, and Jason out front.”
Dunk caught Louie’s attention and raised his eyebrows slightly. A lot was depending on how the two backups held up under the pressure. Dunk had been playing well, but things would be different with Jared on the bench.
Lincoln did its best to take advantage, pounding the ball inside to the center and forwards.
Fiorelli hit a three-pointer, but Lincoln built the lead back to eight points, then ten.
Time was running out in the half as Spencer brought the ball up one last time. Dunk was panting and sweat was running down his face, but he was ready to expend every ounce of energy he had left.
As the clock wound down, Spencer found Miguel in the corner. The shot looked good, but it rolled around the rim and fell out. The Lincoln center grabbed it and turned, but Dunk swiped it away. He leaned back, jumped, and shot, getting hammered by a pair of Lincoln players as the ball bonked off the rim.
The whistle blew. There was just one second left in the half, but Dunk was going to the free-throw line.
He took a deep breath as the referee handed him the ball. He bent his knees, let out the breath, and calmly sank the first shot.
A cheer went up from the bleachers and the Hornets’ bench. Spencer clapped his hands.
Dunk made the second shot.
That was the half. Lincoln 34, Hudson City 26.
“You big guys have to really step up,” Spencer said in the locker room.
Coach Davis had already gone over the strategy and pointed out some errors from the first half. He always allowed the captains a few minutes to speak if they wanted to.
“Those guys are huge, and Jared’s in foul trouble,” Spencer
Finally the ball went to Jared. He had good position, but with two fouls already, he seemed uncharacteristically timid. Instead of driving to the hoop, he bounced the ball to Dunk. Dunk grabbed it, pivoted, and laid the ball off the backboard and in.
“ That’s what we need,” Coach yelled. “Keep working in there.”
And as always seemed to happen, Dunk immediately felt better when he made his first good move, whether it was a rebound, a blocked shot, a layup. He did belong out there after all.
Lincoln continued its accurate shooting and led 18-9 after one quarter. Dunk went to the bench and Louie took his place. Lamont subbed for Willie, making the Hornets’ lineup a bit taller.
Coach leaned forward on the bench as the second quarter got under way. “Stay alert,” he said, looking at Dunk. “You’ll be right back in there.”
And when Fiorelli got fouled a couple of minutes later, Coach sent Dunk back in for Louie. Lincoln was still ahead by nine.
Fiorelli made the free throws, and Willie made a nice steal in the backcourt, leading to Spencer’s layup. The momentum had shifted in a hurry. Suddenly the Lincoln players looked frustrated.
“Our gym!” Spencer called as the Hornets hustled back on defense. “This is our house.”
Hudson City eventually whittled the lead down to three, and the half-full bleachers came to life. “DE- fense !” came the cry. “DE- fense !”
Dunk was sweating heavily. He leaned into his opponent, keeping him away from the basket, as Spencer and Willie swarmed all over the Lincoln point guard.
The ball flew into the paint; Jared stepped up and blocked the center’s path. The shot went up, but Jared was all over it, swatting it out-of-bounds as the Hornet fans cheered.
But then came the whistle. Jared’s third foul.
“No!” Jared said, shaking his head in disgust and looking toward the ceiling. “I got all ball.”
But the referee had seen it differently. The Lincoln player made both free throws. Hudson City took another timeout.
Dunk looked at the scoreboard: 26-21. Still nearly three minutes until halftime.
“We’re switching to a zone,” Coach said as they gathered at the bench. “Jared, sit. You can’t afford a fourth foul this half. I want Dunk and Louie underneath; Spencer, Miguel, and Jason out front.”
Dunk caught Louie’s attention and raised his eyebrows slightly. A lot was depending on how the two backups held up under the pressure. Dunk had been playing well, but things would be different with Jared on the bench.
Lincoln did its best to take advantage, pounding the ball inside to the center and forwards.
Fiorelli hit a three-pointer, but Lincoln built the lead back to eight points, then ten.
Time was running out in the half as Spencer brought the ball up one last time. Dunk was panting and sweat was running down his face, but he was ready to expend every ounce of energy he had left.
As the clock wound down, Spencer found Miguel in the corner. The shot looked good, but it rolled around the rim and fell out. The Lincoln center grabbed it and turned, but Dunk swiped it away. He leaned back, jumped, and shot, getting hammered by a pair of Lincoln players as the ball bonked off the rim.
The whistle blew. There was just one second left in the half, but Dunk was going to the free-throw line.
He took a deep breath as the referee handed him the ball. He bent his knees, let out the breath, and calmly sank the first shot.
A cheer went up from the bleachers and the Hornets’ bench. Spencer clapped his hands.
Dunk made the second shot.
That was the half. Lincoln 34, Hudson City 26.
“You big guys have to really step up,” Spencer said in the locker room.
Coach Davis had already gone over the strategy and pointed out some errors from the first half. He always allowed the captains a few minutes to speak if they wanted to.
“Those guys are huge, and Jared’s in foul trouble,” Spencer
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