Chapters (41)
- Cover
- Dedication
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
- Also by Mike Lupica
Lucas looked up into the bleachers behind their bench. His mom was sitting next to Maria and her parents. Even Maria’s grandmother was there. At the end of the row was Mr. Collins, sitting next to Ryan’s dad.
Corey Tanner was still getting his shots against Lucas in the first half. He just wasn’t making as many as he had in the first half, the last time the Wolves had played the Jazz. And Lucas was using just about every defensive trick he knew to slow him down. He was overplaying when he could. He was picking him up full-court sometimes. He was willing to try anything to get him off his game, and away from his favorite spots.
And the Wolves were making Corey work as much as they could on defense, running one pick-and-roll after another. They didn’t all result in baskets, of course. But they were working that play, working their stuff, the way they had all season, and working the other team’s best offensive player as hard as they possibly could, looking to tire him out.
Gramps was running his players in and out, using his bench, almost like a hockey coach sending his players over the boards for shorter shifts than usual, telling them he wanted everybody on the team to have fresh legs by the fourth quarter.
“You boys got the rest of the school year to get your rest,” Gramps said during one time-out.
“What if we make the state tournament?” Ryan said.
Gramps turned and stared at him, as if a snake had just crawled out of one of Ryan’s ears.
“What tournament?” he said. “All’s we got is today. All’s we ever got in sports is today.”
Just like that, what felt like such a long season when they were starting out, had become a short season. Just like that, it was a two-point game with two minutes left in the fourth quarter.
And two minutes would feel like a long season all by themselves.
Corey came down against Lucas, and began backing him in on the left side. Lucas tried to force him toward the baseline, knowing he preferred wheeling to his left when he went up and into his shot.
Didn’t work.
Corey scored over him.
The game was tied.
Lucas brought the ball up the court. He shot a look at Gramps.
“We’re fine,” Gramps said.