Tactics & Teamwork Chapter 37

"Okay guys, I'm really confident that we're going to have a great game today." Mark said as he started his pre-game speech, which was much less rushed than last time. "From what information Matthew gave me from being a former student here and what Lyn told me about your recent games with Ostia, we have a really good chance to win. So, we're going to go out there and play our game, keep the tempo to our liking, and then when the time is right go in for the kill. So, are you guys ready for this?!" Everyone let off an excited cheer and Mark grinned, he still had their confidence.

"WHO ARE WE?!" It had been a tradition he started, and it wasn't ending anytime soon.

"CAELIN KNIGHTTS!"

"AND WHAT ARE WE?!"

"SMALL BUT BRAVE!"

"Alright! Let's move out!" And with that everyone filed out, giving Mark a high five along the way. He followed out behind them and after the team was announced he went and found Ostia's coach. He took one look at him an just had a feeling about who he was. "Let me guess, Hector's brother?"

"That obvious huh?" The youngish man asked with a chuckle. He had a big scar across his nose and he was bigger and taller than Hector, something Mark never knew was possible, but he seemed friendly enough. "You know Hector told me about what happened the other day, I hope you won't put it against him, our family is full of hotheads, including myself."

"Eh, I've already forgotten it." Mark admitted. "I am pretty forgettable at times. Being short and wearing green a lot can do that to a kid."

"Well, at least you have a sense of humor about it. But don't count yourself short, I've watched the tapes of your games, Caelin has improved very quickly under your coaching, this is going to be close game I think, you might actually win."

"Um, thanks?" He didn't know if he was trying to reverse psychology him or not.

"Don't think too much about that." Uther said catching it. "Yes we're both here to win, but being honest keeps us on our toes, wouldn't you say?"

"You're right." Mark said relieved a bit. "Well, good luck, may the better team win." He extended his hand for a shake and, like Hector's it felt as if he was going to take his whole arm off before he got back to the bench. When he got there he noticed that Ninian was actually in uniform for once. "Hey, don't do anything that will get you more hurt." He said concerned.

"I won't, I'm just going to stand and cheer when I can, it's a part of the rehab process." She assured him and Mark understood. He took a deep breath and looked out onto the court. Ostia was a big school, and it's gym was huge, probably at least 3 times the size of Caelin's. The crowds were louder too, but Matthew had told him that so he blared music during practice the last couple of days.

"Here we go." He said to himself as the teams met at half court. Sain and Hector took the middle ring and the referee threw the ball up to begin the game. With his longer arms Sain once again got Caelin the ball first and Mark wondered if he ever would miss a tip-off this season. It got tipped to Wil who quickly bounced it to Matthew to bring up the court. He called out the first play and Lyn cut past her defender a split second before Matthew passed the ball in her direction. The only person in her way after that was Hector, but Hector was just too big for her to do anything inside so she had to pass it out to Wil who had an open shot and took it. The ball bounced on the rim twice and finally went in for Caelin's first three points. The lead was short lived though Hector and another surprise player just beat up Kent and Sain in the paint with their strength, drawing fouls and dunking on them just about every possession. About halfway through the second quarter Mark called a time-out because they were down 10 and there was no sign of it getting better anytime soon.

"Kent, Sain, you're getting murdered out there, what's the issue?" Mark asked looking at them specifically. They were out of breath and sweating much more than they usually did.

"They're just too strong." Sain said. "They back me in and I can't do anything about it."

"And number 10, I think you said his name was Oswin," Kent started. "it's like he knows how I'm going to defend him before I even do. What year is he Matthew?"

"Senior, been a starter all four years too." Matthew said. "What's the plan Mark, our offense is a bit off as well because of them."

"Yeah, we can speed past them, but once I get inside I can't do anything because of Hector's size." Lyn commented. Mark closed his eyes and took all the information in, trying to piece what he could do together to make something work. It took him a moment, but when he opened his eyes he had a plan.

"Okay, this is what we're going to do." He said confidently. "Lyn, Wil, Erk, Rath, and Matthew will go back out there, giving Kent and Sain a breather. We're also going to switch up our defense and play a zoning style like this." He added drawing on the whiteboard he had bought a couple days before. "The plan is to not let the ball get inside the foul line, but if it does let them score because it would waste time and energy to try and stop them."

"What about our offense though?" Wil asked. "Rath is the only big guy you're sending back out."

"Exactly." Mark said. "We've seen that their defense is strong on the inside, so we're going to test their perimeter defense. Matthew will use his speed to suck them inside and the other four will be ready to shoot or pass to an open shooter."

"And since Rath is the best shooting big guy he can mix them up, I see." Wil said getting it.

"I hope this doesn't upset either of you." Mark said to Kent and Sain.

"Not one bit, I need a breather." Sain said sitting down on the bench.

"You're planning has sound logic Mark and I agree with it." Kent assured him. "I assume I would be next in line if Rath gets tired or too many fouls?"

"Yeah." Mark confirmed. "Okay, let's see if this plan works. Knights on three. One, two, three, KNIGHTS!"

"KNIGHTS!" The team cheered and they got back onto the court. The first couple of possessions with the new offense was a bit shaky since their plays were designed to have two big guys on the court, but towards the end of the quarter they were getting the hang of it. The defense was what really improved. With Lyn, Matthew, and Erk speeding around everywhere they were deflecting and stealing passes left and right. Sure, Hector and Oswin would get their fair share of points when they missed, but it was less than when Kent and Sain were in there. So by the half they were only down by 5 points and were very confident about coming back out for the rest of the game.

"Mark, your plan seems to be working." Lyn said as everyone sat in the locker room. "How did you come up with that?"

"Well, you know, playing to our strengths. We're a fast team not a strong one, they took advantage of our weakness so much I figured it wouldn't matter if I made them worse if it cause us to gain our own advantage."

"A daring strategy indeed, but it's working." Sain said with a grin. He then looked around, not seeing Kent anywhere. "Hey, where is my boon bench companion?"

"Probably taking a play out of your book with Carrie." Mark said since he saw them sneak out after his halftime speech. "Let them be, it'll be fine."

"Well, looks like I'm not going to be playing much of the rest of the game." Kent said in the hallway with Carrie.

"Think about it this way, more energy for later." Carrie said trailing her finger up his chest.

"Good point." Kent said getting some shivers. "But I do have to stay focused just in case. So how about another kiss for good luck?"

"Why of course." Carrie said placing one on his lips. About that time the team passed by to get back out on the court.

"Can I have a good luck kiss too?" Lyn said to Mark to tease the couple a bit. But to her surprise Mark did kiss her.

"Good luck." He grinned and ran back into the gym. Everyone huddled one last time and then took their position to continue the game. The team came out firing on all cylinders and by the end of the 3rd quarter they were up by 4 points. Then the Ostian strategy changed. Hector started guarding Lyn specifically and it really messed up Mark's plan since she was the one shooting the most. He would have thought that Lyn would be fast enough to just get around him, and she was for the most part, but every time down the court was hard for her now and she was getting stressed out from the intensity of his defense.

"Lyn, if he's going to guard you that close, just pass the ball to Wil, he's shooting really well tonight." Mark suggested during their next timeout.

"No, I can take him on, I just need a few more chances to figure him out." Lyn replied gritting her teeth. Mark wasn't going to fight her, once her mind was set on something it was hard to change. So the game went on, the lead going back and forth until there was a half minute left in the game. Caelin was down by a point and Ostia had the ball. Their point guard dribbled the ball to waste as much time as possible before trying to get the ball into Hector. The pass was great and it got to him, but as he went up for the lay-up Lyn came up and smacked his arm so he would miss.

"Personal foul! Number 7 Caelin. Two foul shots!" The referee called as it was a clear foul. But the shot did miss so there was a chance something good could happen. Hector took his spot on the foul line and took the first shot. It bounced off the front of the rim for a miss and Mark clenched his fist in excitement.

"Told you he sucked at free throws." Matthew said looking on.

"If he makes this next one call a timeout." Mark said back and Matthew nodded. Hector took a few moments to dribble the ball before shooting again. This one went in and as soon as Matthew got the ball he called the timeout. "Okay, are we going for the tie or the win? I have plans for both."

"We can't take an overtime with them, we have to win now." Matthew voiced his opinion.

"Yeah, I can't take anymore of their defense." Erk said. "And I'm slowing down out there. We'll get destroyed." Everyone else agreed and Mark nodded.

"Okay, so this is what we're going to do. Lyn will take the ball up the court to mix them up. Hector will come up to guard her and Matthew will cut behind him for a pass. They'll think we're going for a tie and collapse inside. Matthew passes out to Rath to suck them even more, and then Rath passes it to Wil in the corner who will take the shot. Sound good." The team nodded and Mark put his hand in the middle and everyone else placed their hands on top. "Team on three. One, two, three. TEAM!"

"TEAM!" And with that the last few seconds were in place. Everything went according to Mark's plan at first. Lyn passed to Matthew and then he passed to Rath. But when Rath tried to pass to Wil not all off the defenders were fooled and one tipped the ball. Lyn saw it and grabbed it out of the air with 3 seconds left. Wil was open, but so was she and it might take too long to get the ball to Wil. So Lyn took the ball herself and leaped up to try and score. But lo and behold Hector came in and knocked her down, a foul to be sure, but she missed the shot and fell hard to the ground.

"Personal Foul! Number 7 Ostia. Two shots!" The ref said, but Lyn wasn't getting up that quickly. Surprisingly Uther called a timeout so she could regain her composure after a shot like that. Mark rushed out to the court to help her up.

"Lyn! Are you okay?!" He asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I didn't mean to hit you that hard." Hector said standing over her as well.

"I've had worse." Lyn said finally getting up a bit dizzy. "Payback for your last shot huh?"

"Can you take the free throws?" Mark asked her. "Because we can have someone else take them."

"No, if I can't take them then I can't play in overtime." Lyn said citing the rules. "I'm fine really. Trust me Mark." Mark nodded and the players took their positions for the free throws. Lyn dribbled the ball a few times to clear her head and she made the first shot no problem. The crowd became silent as the referee gave her the ball again. She went through the same motions, but a twinge in her shoulder affected her shot ever so much. The ball bounced off the backboard, and then the rim, and then on to the floor. The shot was missed and Ostia had won 88-87. The crowd cheered of course since their home team had won, but everyone Caelin's side felt like they had played a good game, even Mark so he wasn't too disappointed.

"Sorry Mark, I thought I could do it." Lyn said a bit upset at herself for letting Hector best her.

"Hey, don't worry about it." Mark said. "We just lost to the best team in the Lycian League by 1 point in their home stadium. "Just think how badly we'll beat them in Caelin. Now let's take you home, I think you're going to need some food, ice, and maybe I'll throw in a massage as well for the star player. After we talk to Erk of course."

"I think I'd like that Mark, thank you." The Caelin Knights were 2-2 but they had some easy games coming up on the schedule and were confident even after this loss, so they were by no means in a bad position. Only time would tell how things would work out.

Stat Line

Lyn Hausen #7: 10/13, 27 Pts, 2/4 3PT, 5/6FT, 2REB, 6AST, 3STL, 2TO, 3FOUL

Kent Du Rouget #5: 3/7, 6Pts, 2REB, 1AST, 1BLK, 2TO, 2FOUL

Sain Sante #1: 4/9, 8Pts, 3REB, 3TO, 3FOUL

Matthew Espion #86: 4/6, 8Pts, 7AST, 4STL

Wil Bowman #3: 4/7, 15 Pts, 4/6 3PT, 3/3FT 2STL, 1FOUL

Florina Pegase #11: 1/2, 2Pts

Rath Kutolah #55: 2/4, 5Pts, 1/1FT, 3REB, 2BLK, 1FOUL

Lucius Lumiere #77: 2/3, 4Pts, 1AST, 1STL

Erk Agacer #8: 5/8, 12Pts, 2/3 3PT, 4AST, 2STL, 2FOUL

Other Important Players

Hector Maulmen #7: 15/24, 32Pts, 2/3FT, 10REB, 5BLK, 2TO, 4FOUL

Oswin Cheval #10: 10/15, 20 Pts, 5REB, 3BLK, 2AST, 1STL, 1FOUL

A/n- Nothing to say.