Ox stood at least six inches taller than the boy he was about to tip off against. As the ball floated high into the air Ox tipped it back to Keevan without any problem. As Keevan dribbled the basketball he was suddenly swarmed by three aggressive Raider defenders. Coach Roderick called from the sideline for Keevan to pass the ball, but it was too late. The Raiders had stripped the ball loose and were racing down the court to score an easy two points.
The inbound pass was directed again to Keevan who was once again swarmed by the Raiders defense. This time Keevan called a timeout. Jack looked at Keevan a little funny, but when Keevan started to make the scowl he hadn't seen in months Jack turned away. The team walked over to the bench a bit deflated by what had just happened. Coach Roderick looked at Jack who was unsure of what to say. After an awkward silence Coach Roderick started coaching.
"Look guys...they're just running a three man trap. I don't know if they'll try to do this the whole game, but they know about Keevan. We're gonna move Jack to the three take Jocelyn out of the game and sub in Cisco at the two. Ox! Don't inbound the ball to Keevan...get it to Cisco or Jack. Got it!"
The team nodded in agreement and Jack let out a glinted smile.
"Nice to have you back coach."
Ox lined up for the inbound pass. The pass went to Cisco who was swarmed just like Keevan was. Cisco rolled the ball through the legs of one of the defenders and Keevan picked it up. Keevan ran down the court trying to outpace the Raiders defense. As the three trap defenders approached Keevan he heaved the ball to the corner of the court where Jack stood waiting at the three point line. The not-so-tall center for the Raiders approached Jack, but Jack's release was too quick and he sank a three pointer.
The Raiders went to work on offense and it looked an awful lot like their defense. Player after player raced after the ball. It didn't appear that there was a rhythm to their offense and the Davis defense was forcing tough passes. After about eight different attempts to find an open shot the ball was knocked loose by Keevan. Before he could push the ball up the court he had the triple trap on him again. This time he attempted Cisco's between the legs roll, but failed to get the ball out. The Raider recovered the ball and passed in to their center for another two points.
Davis had not found an answer to the triple trap of the Raiders and Jack knew it would be a long game if they couldn't do something about it. Once again Ox passed the ball in to Cisco. Cisco tried to race out of the trap, but the ball was knocked loose again. The Raiders picked it up and scored another two point basket. Jack could hear the crowd roar after the bucket went in. His mind was racing with how to beat the trap, but he couldn't think.
The inbound pass came to Jack who was honestly not expecting it. He clutched the ball as the triple trap came again. Jack pivoted from right to left and then came the grace of the whistle. Jack was fouled. The tournament rules called for two foul shots for every personal foul committed. The players walked down the court and Jack easily made both foul shots. Davis was only one point down to the Raiders and Jack had scored all five points.
Offensive problems continued to persist for the Raiders. Once again they got the ball down court and couldn't find an open shot. Ultimately a player missed a jump shot and Ox came down with the easy rebound. Jack noticed that no one was trapping Ox. With a swift hand movement Jack motioned to Ox to bring the ball down the floor. The Raiders didn't react to Ox dribbling the ball up the court. Ox was able to get the ball all the way to the free throw line before the Raiders center defended him. With a quick shimmy and crossover dribble, Ox took the ball to the rim for an easy two point layup.
The crowd was not behind the Davis team as only a small amount of cheers came from the bleachers. The Raiders brought the ball down the court again and Davis set their base defense. Pass after pass was met with a stiff Davis defense until a bad pass finally forced the ball out of bounds. Davis was once again challenged with an inbound pass. Racing to the sideline Jack told Ox to go onto the floor. Jack took the ball and directed the inbound pass to Ox. Ox got the ball and when the triple trap came he held the ball high above the defenders heads. Scanning the floor he found Keevan racing to the basket. Ox let the ball go and hit Keevan in stride; Keevan let the ball roll off his fingers for a pretty layup. Davis appeared to have figured out the triple trap.
Offensively the Raiders were a mess. They could not generate a good look. The whistle came into play again as the Raiders were called for a double dribble. Jack waved off Ox again and made the inbound pass to a towering Ox. This time Ox passed the ball to Jack who had set himself wide open for a three point shot. When the pass came a defender was in Jack's face. Jack bounce passed to Cisco who relayed the ball to Keevan. Keevan made another pretty layup and the triple trap was conquered once again. The Raiders called a timeout.
Jack was jazzed up as Davis approached the bench. Once again, Davis had overcome something that seemed impossible to conquer. Coach Roderick huddled the team.
"Good thinking out there Jack. In case you guys haven't figured it out...this team has about four David and Derrick's on it. They are going to trap and press us until the cows come home. I don't think they'll use the triple trap right away. Their coach is going to mix it up defensively, they can't score unless they steal the ball or we miss a shot. Their offense is all about transition basketball. You boys need to be quick and crisp on offense. Keep them on their toes. Don't let Jack or Ox take all the inbound passes. Mix it up and keep passing. Passing is what beats the press...you worked it beautifully...let's keep it up."
Davis set their base defense and once again forced an out of bounds pass. Cisco lined up to inbound the ball. This time the Raiders center stood in front of Cisco blocking off all potential passing lanes. Cisco got whistled for a five second violation for not getting the ball inbounds and possession went to the Raiders. The Raiders inbounded the ball, but once again could not get off a clean shot. Ox recovered an air ball shot and quickly pushed the ball up the floor to Keevan who passed to Cisco. Cisco found David open in the paint and got him the ball. David got fouled as he went up for a shot and was put on the free throw line.
Jack could not believe the rapid pass of the game and was glad for the short respite the foul provided. David made one shot and missed the second. The Raiders quickly rebounded the ball and raced up the floor beating the Davis defense. One of the players drove in for a hard earned layup. The Raiders were back on the board.
The rest of the first half continued to be a rapid pace and every miscue and errant pass exploited the scoreboard. The Raiders trapped, pressed, triple trapped, and clawed their way to seventeen points. Davis on the other hand passed, ran, and maneuvered their way to twenty two points. Coach Roderick managed a complicated rotation of players to keep everyone fresh and the Raiders defense on their heels.
Coach Roderick admonished his team to keep the same intensity going in the second half and to prepare for anything the defense might throw at them. The game was still close and Coach Roderick made sure his team knew that to fight again they would need to keep the gas pedal down.
The Raiders started the second half with possession of the ball. Once again they displayed a dismal performance on offense. Unfortunately David was whistled for a reach in foul and the Raiders were at the foul line. The player made both shots and the game was now a one possession game.
Arturo inbounded the ball to David who forced a bad pass to Jocelyn. The Raiders intercepted the pass and scored a quick layup. The game was now a one point game. The crowd noise grew in intensity as it had to start the first half. Jocelyn now stood to inbound the ball. She passed to Arturo who held the ball high and passed Ox. Ox passed the ball back to Jocelyn. Jocelyn found Cisco who pushed the ball up to Ox. Ox had beaten the Raiders center down the court and maneuvered his way to score inside the paint.
Both teams went back and forth
throughout the second half. The Raiders kept the game within two or three points until the final minutes. With the scoreboard reading Davis forty and the Raiders thirty eight, there was less than thirty seconds left on the clock. Coach Roderick rotated in Arturo, Ox, Jack, Keevan, and Cisco to close out the game.
The Raiders inbounded the ball and dribbled down the court to attempt a desperation offensive surge. As the Davis defense set one of the Raiders players threw up a desperation three point basket. The shot hit the rim and bounced off the backboard and down onto the rim again. The ball gently bounced and ultimately rolled through the basket for the Raiders to take a one point lead. The crowd erupted.
Davis regrouped with Keevan lining up to inbound the ball. The Raiders went into full press mode. The only option was to pass the ball high to Ox or Arturo. Ox had the Raiders center covering him, but Arturo seemed relatively open. Keevan passed him the ball. Before the ball arrived a defender stole the pass and scored a layup. The Raiders had a three point lead and a raucous crowd staving off a Davis surge.
Ox lined up to inbound the ball. He looked at the clock which was still running, it had eight seconds left. Jack took off in a dead sprint down the court. Ox heaved the ball down the court past Jack. The ball looked like it was going to go out of bounds, but Jack miraculously caught up to it. He gained control of the ball. Stepped behind the three point line and nailed a shot at the final buzzer sound. Davis had just sent the game to overtime.
The crowd let out an exasperated gasp as the referee allowed both teams to regroup. Coach Roderick huddled his team together.
"You all are amazing. We have three minutes to try and beat these guys. I know it's not easy, but we've got to keep pushing. Stay firm and crisp out there. You are the better team!"
The same five that closed the game took the floor for overtime. Ox won the opening tip and quick passing opened up another three point shot for Jack. This time Jack missed and the Raiders were off running in the opposite direction. They made three transitional passes and scored the first two points of overtime.
Coach Roderick called for a jail break pass. Ox lined up to pass the ball. On the count of three the entire Davis team raced down the court. Ox launched the ball. Keevan recovered the ball and tied the game.
The Raiders countered with another poor output on offense. Cisco intercepted a pass and raced down the court to put Davis up by two. The rest of the game was a defensive struggle. Davis stifled the Raiders offense and the Raiders did not yield another basket to Davis. With twenty seconds left on the clock the Raiders had possession of the ball. The crowd increasingly grew louder as each pass was met with a tough Davis defender. As the clock wound down on the Raiders made a desperate attempt to drive the basketball towards the hoop. Before he could get off a shot the ball fell to the floor and the whistle blew. Keevan was called for a blocking foul.
The gymnasium feel to a still silence as the Raider player went to the free throw line. The referee cleared the floor and the Davis players were escorted to their bench. After three dribbles the player let go of his first foul shot and made the shot. The crowd cheered, but there was still another shot. With the game on the line the ball bounced three times and the shot was released. The ball floated through the air and met the front rim of the basket, clanging the ball to the floor. Davis had survived on a missed free throw!