Chapter 629: Broadcast
Saturday, March 11th, Afternoon
Looking over his computer, Trey nodded and looked down the court. Faye moved up to the top of the key. She looked left, then right; there was no one to feed the ball to, Trey noted. Faye pulled up and took the shot. The ball sailed in a beautiful rainbow arch. The ball was a little too strong, and hit the glass, then the rim, and rolled off. Brett broke free of her defender, dug in for the rebound, and put back.
"Shot by Ambrose, off the glass and hoop. Rebound and put back by Pierce-Burke. Tree Hill now leads five to two. The starters are still in for both sides, as Tree Hill has adjusted well to Northwest Guilford's transition offense. There seems to be some chatting between Pierce-Burke and Popova. O'Brien is checking in at the scoring table," Trey said.
The coach from Northwest Guilford yelled out onto the court. The point guard for Northwest Guilford called a time-out. The referee blew the whistle stopping the clock. The two teams headed over to the sideline.
"Northwest Guilford time-out, this seems odd. Are they trying to break the momentum, but neither side appears to have it? The question is, what adjustments are both teams going to make? Flannery O'Brien was coming in, was Coach Scott pulling Pierce-Burke or Jade Loyal? Flannery is a balanced player but doesn't excel like Pierce-Burke or is as efficient a shooter as Jade Loyal.
"Coach Scott is known for doing unconventional things with his lineup. We're only about halfway through the first quarter, it seems a bit early for Coach Scott to be toying with the lineup," Trey said.
The teams returned to the court. Jade Loyal had taken a seat on the bench, while Flannery O'Brien took up position on the court. Faye Ambrose did a quick head count and set the defense. The Northwest Guilford team was set, and the ball came into play. The ball moved to the half-court that Tree Hill was defending.
"Northwest Guilford moves the ball into the zone. Theta re feeling out the defense of Tree Hill. O'Brien is in for Jade Loyal. Normally, O'Brien comes in to give Pierce-Burke. It seems Coach Scott is going all in on defense," Trey said.
In the rotation of the ball, Northwest Guilford managed to get it to an uncovered player. Tree Hill caught on and shifted but was just a step behind; The Northwest Guilford player pulled up and took a shot. The ball sailed toward the hoop and banged into it for two points. The score just got a little bit closer, 5-4 Tree Hill.
"Northwest Guilford has closed the gap with a mid-range jumper; it's now five to four in favor of Tree Hill. Popova is under the net and passes the ball out to Ambrose," Trey said. She started to take the ball down the court.
Avril was moving down the court a little behind; her bigger size made it hard to keep up with the smaller Faye. When everyone got to the other side of the court, the offense started. Faye took her spot at the top of the key and moved towards the sideline opposite the benches.
Faye took in the defense and where the Tree Hill players were situated. She moved around the arch, stopped, planted her feet, and then went up for a shot. Instead of taking the shot, she passed it across the key. Baylee took in the ball, pivoted, and took the shot. The ball banged against the backboard and into the hoop. That extended Tree Hill's lead to seven to four.
The Tree Hill players headed down the court to set up their defense. Trey watched as they moved down the court like a finely tuned machine.
"A brilliant pass by Ambrose across the key to Miller. Miller is up, and it's good. Tree Hill is now leading seven to four," Trey said.
Trey looked down the court to see what the players were doing. Northwest Guilford was moving down the court. Trey took a deep breath and looked at what was happening before reporting it.
"Northwest Guilford is moving the ball down the court. They are trying to spread the Tree Hill defense, and it looks like they are setting up for going for a three," Trey said.
Northwest Guilford moved the ball around the horn. They were trying to slow the game's pace and keep the ball out of Tree Hill's hands. They were doing this even down by three. The ball rarely stayed in the hands of the Northwest Guilford player long. When the shot clock was low, they finally took their shot which missed. Avril went up and secured the rebound.
"Northwest Guilford with the shot off the hoop. Popova with the rebound and outlet pass to O'Brien. O'Brien passes it to Ambrose and moves down the court; it looks like Tree Hill is doing the same thing, ball control and trying to run down the clock. I wouldn't expect this from Coach Scott, who is known for his bold, dynamic offensive style. Again, this team is more of a power team. His first two championship teams were able to produce in most offenses, but his third team was completely dynamic," Trey said.
Trey looked down the court to see the team finish its possession with a missed shot by Jade Loyal. Northwest Guilford came up with the rebound; the Tree Hill Players started down the court to play defense. Northwest Guilford began to move down the court with the ball.
The offense kept this grinding pace up. Northwest Guilford finally ran the clock down before they took a shot. The ball bricked off the backboard. Avril came up with the ball and did the classic Dennis Rodman dribble, dribble, and pass that sailed clean toward Baylee.
Baylee took the ball and started down the court. She didn't get far when a Northwest Guilford player ran up and knocked the ball loose. The ball bounced down the court, and another Northwest Guilford player came up with the ball.
The momentum shifted, and Tree Hill was caught flat-footed. The Northwest Guilford player dribbled down the court and penetrated into the paint instead of setting up a slow offense. Avril was caught off guard and didn't have time to take a charge. The smaller player bounced off Avril and landed on her back on the hardwood.
The referee blew the whistle. Avril shook her head and tapped her chest, saying it was her fault. Brett came over and put a hand on her shoulder, as they lined up for the free throws.
Northwest Guilford made its one free throw; gameplay started again. Tree Hill began to move down the court. Trey could hear the chirping between the two players.
"Pierce-Burke, parents couldn't figure out your last name?" Tennent asked.
"Right," Brett said.
"Your time is over," Tennent said.
"Michael, right?" Brett asked.
"Me-Shell," Tennent corrected.
"Yeah, yeah, Michael," Brett said.
"It's Me-Shell; that's how it's pronounced," Tennent said.
"Uh-huh!" As the ball bounced off Tennent's head, Brett said, "Next time, pay attention." Brett secured the ball and passed it to Baylee. Brett smirked and shrugged as she ran down the court.
