Chapter 370: Hoggard
Friday, February 3rd, Afternoon (Eastern Standard Time)
(Song lyrics in italics)
Slowly, Brett strode onto the court; carefully, she adjusted her hair and looked over her teammates. Abril was ling up for the jump ball, Baylee in her position, Jade and Faye were also ready. Brett moved her foot against the parquet floor, feeling it, embracing it. This game is their last regular-season home game; this is it; the last time before this crowd in this room.
This year they drew the short straw; their regular season closer was a road game. So, it's their penultimate game that will close out their home season. Brett took one last look around the gym and all the banners and smiled. She'll miss it here. But now it's warrior time, time to play. The lyrics of a song from a long-departed band played in her mind's ear.
It's time to play the game.
Time to play the game.
Hahahahahaha
The tip-off went smooth, but it was a fight. Hoggard came to play and be the spoiler. Tree Hill had yet to lose a game, and breaking an undefeated season would be monumental.
Brett fell into her defensive position and found the grove against Hoggard. They moved the ball around, using the shot clock. Finally, the ball came into the paint, and Brett hammered the player.
Yes, she drew her first foul, but she sent a message. The paint was her house, and in her house, you played by Brett's rules or paid the price.
Hoggard got to the line and onto the board with the foul shot. Brett smiled and jogged down the court to the Hoggard side of the court. In quick succession, Brett broke into the paint and called for the ball.
During Brett's break, Faye had passed the ball to Baylee. The shooting guard saw Brett breaking and passed the ball to her.
Brett secured the ball and pushed it to the hoop. After a quick move, Brett cleared her way to the hoop and laid up the ball in a battle.
The ball went in, and Brett landed cleanly. She smiled at the Hoggard center and jogged down the court, time for defense, again.
The first quarter turned into a brutal slugging match. They played a slow physical game; a few fouls passed between the teams, which helped slow down the game.
Brett came out for a breather near the end of the first quarter. Flannery O'Brien went in for her; Brett sat on the bench and took a sip of water. After the swallow of her mouthful of water, she slipped her ginger hair out and reset. She followed that with another drink of water.
Coach Sinclair came over and sat down next to Brett. Brett looked at Coach Sinclair and nodded.
"Nice message you sent out there," Coach Sinclair said.
"I do what I can," Brett said.
"Don't keep it up; it looks like we're going to need you on the court," Coach Sinclair said.
"Yes, Coach," Brett said, the first quarter ended with the score tied six to six. The team came off the court and huddled up.
"Okay, they're here to play," Coach Scott said, "Now, go out there and bring it back to them."
The girls nodded. Coach Scott looked them over. "Alright, let's go out there," Coach Scott said.
"Is Hoggard going to beat us on three," Faye said, "One, two, three."
"Nevermore," The team said.
Brett checked in and headed back onto the court; she took her place to guard her player. The Hoggard player looked at her.
"So, last home game," Marine Hillam, one of Hoggard's best player, said.
"For the regular season," Brett said.
"Going to suck to lose on this night," Hillam said.
"That's not going to happen," Brett said.
"Keep telling yourself that," Hillam said.
The quarter started, and Brett put up a fight. The second quarter was another rough and tumble affair. There was blood on the parquet, Brett thought.
Sadly, Hoggard got a few lucky breaks. The second quarter ended, and halftime started; as the team headed off the court for the locker rooms, Brett looked up at the scoreboard, it read Hoggard sixteen, Tree Hill ten.
Tree Hill took their place in the locker room; Coach Scott walked into his office for a minute. The trainer checked on a few of the players. Once the trainer finished, Coach Pierce-Scott knocked on the door. Coach Scott came out and looked them over.
"Tough half, right?" Coach Scott asked, and the girls nodded, "Tough to watch from the bench, too," Coach Scott said, and watched the girls, some of them bowed their heads, "Don't lower your heads, they came to play, and we're holding our own. I think it's time."
"Time for what, Coach?" Jade asked.
"Good question, Jade. This reminds me of a quote someone told me. My Center is yielding, my right is retreating. Situation excellent, I am attacking," Coach Scott said.
"What does that mean, Coach?" Jade asked.
"That's what exactly what we're doing; we're going to attack," Coach Scott said, went to the board, and diagramed out some plays.
Brett led the team out on the floor. They warmed up for the second half; Brett would look across the court to the Hoggard players warming up. Brett nodded; it's time to settle the score.
The warm-up period ended, and they headed to their bench. They looked over each other and gave each other a nod.
Brett fixed her hair; she wondered if her red hair was a giveaway. Fixing her hair tightly, and finally looked over at Hillam. Brett nodded and clenched her jaw.
The second half started with the referee handed a player the ball. The ball came into the court and started play of the game; sixteen minutes left to the home season, sixteen minutes left in Brett's regular-season home basketball career.
The third quarter was completely different than the first two. Tree Hill established its dominance by setting up a run. Brett led them by clamping down on them on defense. With Hoggard shutdown, it was time for the offense to take over.
Eight minutes, that's how long the quarter lasted. As the third quarter died and would birth the fourth quarter, Brett looked up at the scoreboard.
The scoreboard read Hogagrd twenty-four to Tree Hill thirty-one. They scored twenty-one points to Hoggard's eight points in the third quarter. Brett smiled and nodded; they went from six points down to being up by seven.
Brett, on the sideline, wiped her face with a towel and hydrated. Eight minutes left for the last regular-season home game of her high school career.
Brett looked to Avril and Baylee and nodded. Her two friends nodded back at her; they all knew that this it it. Finally, Brett looked at Coach Scott.
"Unless we foul out, the seniors don't want to come out, Coach," Brett said.
"Why's that Brett?" Coach Scott asked.
"We want to end our last game in front of the hometown crowd on the court," Brett said.
Coach Scott nodded, "We'll see, just worry about winning this game," he said.
"Yes, Coach," Brett said.
The fourth quarter was an anti-climax. Tree Hill broke Hoggard during the third. The game's final eight minutes was a blur, but when the final buzzer sounded, the final score was Hoggard thirty-one, Tree Hill forty-five.
Brett, Avril, and Baylee met in center court and hugged each other. They turned to the Tree Hill stands and waved to the fans. Brett took one more look around the gym and banners; she looked down at her sweat-soaked white jersey with the number thirty on it. Her last regular-season home game, wow, was all she thought before her mind turned to Ashley and the season finale.
