The other team is quick but not as quick as the maroon and white team. The girls fly down the court so aggressively the crowd is mesmerized. Between the squeaks of the shoes and the bounce of the ball, the point guard is invested in the fight for the hoop. She can’t even hear her friends screaming her name or the coach yelling to shoot. They are all just sounds to her. The sweat drops down to her chin; she can’t feel it. Her feet are throbbing in her shoes; and she can’t feel it. Before she could even aim the ball into the hoop, she was interrupted by a loud buzz. Disappointed, she walks to the side of the court where she now realizes how tired she is.
The ref blows their whistle, “Come on girls, back on the court.” The girls are still breathing heavily and yearning to sit on the bench or to just catch their breath. “Two more minutes,” one of the girls from the other team reminds herself. Some are rushing from the bathroom, back to the stands to see how the rivalry ends.
“I think it’s going to be a very interesting year… I have faith in both programs (Freshman and Senior players)” says senior Penelope Annis. When asked what advice she thinks about during a game, she says, “Keep fighting no matter what happens during a game; your mistakes will make up for themselves if you play hard.”
Penny dribbles the ball down the court. Once there, she passes and cuts. The teammate that she passes to quickly shoots. Everyone on the court, in the sidelines, and in the bleachers goes silent… It’s like the entire gym holds their breath for a split second. She sadly misses. The other team gets the rebound.
Both teams run to the other side of the court. One girl from the opposite side shoots and misses. One player on her team gets the rebound but stops when she hears the whistle. The referee calls a foul on one of her teammates. The clock stops at 11.54 seconds. Player 23 stops at the foul line and sets her position. The ref looks at her and puts his hand up to read “two”, meaning she takes two foul shots. An opportunity to put her team in first. The two teams move around as they all try to catch their breath. She shoots and scores. She shoots again and scores again. The timer starts up again while her team runs down the court desperate to win the game with a measly 10 seconds left in the game. The tension and anxiety reach a boiling point as the timer runs low. She receives the ball and sprints. She needs 2 points to tie and 3 points to win it all for her team. The clock is so close to an ending she stands at the 3-point line. “All or nothing,” she whispers under her breath. 3.. 2..1. She shoots the ball. Swish. 0.
They win! The crowd explodes, some people in the stands stand up, but everyone cheers and screams so loud that it could blow an eardrum. The GHS girls on the court and on the sidelines run to her in an excitement uncompilable. If only it was real. Penny snaps out of her daydream, to see that she’s still stuck in math class all along.
The first Varsity Girls game of the season is a home game at 6:30, Tuesday, December 12, against Bishop Guertin. “They’ve been the best team in the state for the last 4-5 years…we get to start off with the best,” says Mr. Largy.
