The league playoff game was scheduled for Thursday evening at 7:00 PM. Because Merriam High had the best record in their league they got to host the game. By game time the Merriam High School gymnasium was packed with supporters ready to cheer their team on. Jason and Daniel’s parents and nearly all of his close friends were at the game, ready to root Jason on, and hopefully see another victory for team Merriam. Tonight their opponent was Quicksilver High School, from the league’s southwestern division. The Quicksilver Mercury had won their division with a record of 16 – 4 coming into tonight’s game.
Coach Johanson’s game plan was based on two tendencies he had noticed about the Quicksilver High School team. One was that their games were all low scoring. Even in the victories they won, their team only scored in the high thirties or low forties. As the regular season was coming to an end, he had his assistant coach scout one of their games. The report was that despite their name, the Mercury often tried to control the game by going at a slow pace, using ball control to keep their opponents at bay, and limit their opportunities to score. This strategy often resulted in the Mercury starting slowly as well, putting up a lot more points in the second half of the game than in the first half.
Coach Johanson decided that the best way to counter that tendency was to put a scoring blitz on the Mercury right from the beginning of the game. He decided to start with a full court press and see if his players could generate turnovers and steal the ball when the Mercury were on offense. He had team Merriam practice this during the week, and felt that his team could generate a quick lead if they were successful in executing his plan. Once they had a comfortable lead, it would do the Mercury no good to slow things down, because they would have a deficit to make up. Coach Johanson also thought that this would have a mental impact on the Mercury, when they realized that team Merriam could score fast and steal the ball at a slower pace.
As soon as the ball was tipped off at the start of the game, the coach’s plan worked to perfection. The Mercury were a little rattled to begin with, due to the large, boisterous home crowd cheering their opponents on, especially when they were able to take the ball away. Team Merriam went on a 26 – 4 run on the Mercury. The rout was on!
With a big lead, Merriam High settled into their normal game plan which was to provide screens for Chauncey and Reggie whenever possible so that they could get good shot attempts. By half time, the score was 38 – 20. When the buzzer for the half rang, the home crowd was on their feet, giving team Merriam a huge ovation as they went to the locker room.
In the second half, the Mercury concentrated on trying to stop or at least slow down Chauncey Jackson and Reggie Adams. They were constantly double and sometime even triple teamed when they had the ball. Unfortunately for the Mercury, this played right into the hands of team Merriam. Jason was often unguarded when this happened and he scored ten points off of his medium jumpers. Mariano got on fire with his three point shots. While the Mercury was putting pressure on Chauncey or Reggie, he could often move to one of his two favorite shot locations. During one stretch of the second half, he scored five out of six of his three point attempts.
As the game clock reached six minutes to go, Kololo became the star of the game, due to his ability to reject shots. Desperate to make up the score, the Mercury forwards and guard were taking shots that Kololo easily knocked down. He was only called for fouls twice, a real tribute to his skill. In order to get the ball back, and prevent Merriam from scoring any more, the Mercury had to try and stop any shot Reggie or Chauncey would make. They were called for numerous fouls. When Reggie or Chauncey went to the free throw line, they made the Mercury pay by sinking most of their attempts. At last the game ended with a final score of 62 to 40 in favor of team Merriam. Their first playoff game was a smashing success.
The crowd was all over the court cheering as the two teams did the ritual handshakes at the end of the game. The Merriam players had huge smiles on their faces as they were congratulated by their friends, family, and other fans. “I think I could get used to this!” Kololo exclaimed to Mariano as they walked into their locker room.
Inside the locker room, the jubilant team was giving each other high fives and chattering noisily about various plays that were made during their rout of the Mercury. About ten minutes later, Coach Johanson came in to address the team.
“I am very proud of you boys!” he began. “”Tonight you executed our game plan to perfection. I don’t think that our opponents knew what hit them in the first half, and by the second half, when they had regrouped and began to score more, you didn’t lose your intensity. At that point, what they did no longer mattered, as long as you continued to have an answer for every time they scored. Your performance tonight was a tribute to your individual and team skills, and definitely one of the finest games in the history of this school’s basketball program!”
The team whistled and cheered loudly after Coach’s comments, especially remembering the hard work they had to put in during practices that week. “But now we have to get ready for our next game, which is only two days away!” Coach continued. “This time we won’t have the home field advantage, as our game will be played at a local community college. I will have the exact details tomorrow, after the results of the other playoff games come in, and our next opponent is determined. I want you to be ready and focused, just like you were tonight. At the same time, I realize that the body can only take so much! Tomorrow we will have a light, one hour practice, and probably Saturday we will meet to work out details of our strategy, once I know who our opponent will be. Now get home, get rested, and get ready! We still have a lot of basketball in front of us!”
Again the team whistled and cheered. Then Coach Johanson went around and congratulated everyone on the team individually for their efforts.
Saturday’s game turned out to be against a local Catholic school with a storied program. Their team was continually in the playoffs, but this year it turned out not to be one of their best teams. The game was close in the first half, ending up with a score of Merriam 36, St. Bonaventure 32. After observing the play of the first half, Coach Johanson told his team the adjustments he wanted to make in the second half.
“I want you boys to run this team off the court. Already at the half, I felt that we were in better physical shape than them, and that their fundamentals were shaky at times. Size wise, we match up very well with them. Make them work hard for every basket they attempt, and make them work hard to defend every basket we shoot, unless somehow you can manage a fast break. I think that is very possible about midway through the half, when their starters begin to get exhausted.”
Coach Johanson proved to be correct in his analysis again, and by eight minutes into the half, both Chauncey and Reggie had scored baskets on undefended breakaways. Once St. Bonaventure began focusing on those two players, Mariano and Jason were open for about a dozen points between them. By the end of the game, Chauncey was literally unstoppable, and he ended up with 28 points. The final score was Merriam 72, St. Bonaventure 62. It was another solid victory for team Merriam.
With that victory, Merriam High School would be competing in the northern California championship series of two rounds. The four top teams would play two games to determine the championship. In the semi-final round, Merriam was to face the Atalier High School Warriors, a team who had come into the playoffs with a 21-1 record. The championship series was to be played on the campus of an East Bay state college, in their large sports arena. Because of scheduling issues, the semi-final matches were to be held on Tuesday evening, and the championship match would be on Saturday.
The Warriors proved to be worthy opponents for team Merriam. In the first half, the lead see-sawed back and forth between the two teams. At half time, Atalier held onto a two point lead of 40-38, due to a last minute 8-2 run that erased the lead Merriam had maintain in the prior five minutes.
A somewhat dejected Merriam team headed into the locker room, not at all pleased that the lead they had worked
so hard for had been taken away from them at the end of the half. There were some kicked locker door and towels thrown in disgust as the players recriminated about their mistakes. About ten minutes later, Coach Johanson came in to address the team.
“I know you are a little discouraged,” Coach began, “especially after what happened to you at the end of the half. But look on the bright side, you are only two points down. That’s nothing in a game of basketball! Still, this game won’t be easy to win, but I believe we can defeat them. There are two very important things that we have to do in the second half. Two of their best starters already have three fouls. Whenever one of them is defending you, be sure to drive to the basket. Don’t take marginal shots, but strive for easy lay-ups if they come open to you, or make them have to foul you to prevent you from scoring a basket. Remember that free throws count towards a victory and are a very important part of a game like this. The team who wins on the line, is probably going to win the game. One other thing about shooting. If you sense you are going to be totally rejected by their center, or other defenders, get the ball out to Jason. We could use a few of those medium jumpers this half.
“Secondly, we need to open up our three point game. Even if we are not that successful, this will take some of the pressure off of Chauncey and Reggie if they realize that Mariano will be a constant threat from three point range. And for that matter, Chauncey, if you find yourself in a good shooting position with time to set properly while in three point range, I want you to go for a couple of attempts. We want to take them out of what they see as our tendencies in the game. A surprise is always good, especially in the second half.”
The second half continued to be a seesaw battle between the two teams. Merriam fought back and reclaimed the lead. The Atalier coach called a time out, regrouped the Warriors, and soon the score was close again. The lead changed hands five times during the half. As the clock wound down to the last two minutes, both teams used their time outs to plan the final series of plays that would determine the outcome.
Merriam managed to hold onto a two point lead as they went into the final thirty seconds. Reggie Adams had the ball and was driving toward the basket. Two defenders were on him and then a third as he entered the key. Just as it looked like he was going to attempt his shot against great odds, Reggie turned slightly and bounced the ball over to Chauncey who inexplicably was by himself at the edge of the three point line. Chauncey set his feet and effortlessly sank a three point basket, giving Merriam a five point lead with just seven seconds left. The Merriam crowd went wild in the stands. Now the Warriors would need to score two baskets, including a three pointer, just to put the game in overtime.
The Warriors’ coach used his last time out to set the ending strategy. But somehow their team knew that the game was over. Their leading scorer was given the ball and decided to go for the three point shot immediately. But he didn’t set himself right, and ended up shooting an air ball. As the ball flew harmlessly away, never coming close to the basket, the air went out of the Warriors’ fans who sounded a collective sigh of despair. Kololo Asasopo grabbed the ball and held onto it for a second, then triumphantly dribbled away the final seconds. Team Merriam had just made the championship game!
In the stands and on the sideline, the Merriam cheerleaders and fans began chanting “Team Merriam! Team Merriam!” After congratulating their opponents, Chauncey, Reggie, Jason, Kololo, and Mariano jumped up and gave each other high-fives, then jubilantly waved at their fans.
The Merriam locker room was pandemonium, as the players congratulated each other and talked in amazement about another incredible victory for their team. Now they were one game away from becoming the Northern California high school champions.
The championship games had radio and cable television coverage, and of course they wanted to interview him, so it wasn’t until fifteen minutes later that Coach Johanson could come in and address the team. When he walked in, the players began chanting “Coach! Coach! Coach!” as a tribute to the fine job he had done guiding the team through the playoffs. Then they stood and gave him a standing ovation.
For a minute, Coach Johanson was choked up with emotion and pride for the success of his team and the fine athletes that they had become. Then reality set in again, and he became his usual all business self. He held up his arms and waved them. As the team quieted down, and sat down on the locker room benches, Coach Johanson began his post-game speech.
“I am very proud of all of you for what you accomplished here tonight. You boys are definitely the finest high school team I have had the honor to coach. You have gotten to this very high stature through intense hard work, a commitment to the team, and some of the finest on court play I have ever seen. Not only are you fine athletes, you are intelligent athletes. You have learned from your mistakes, made great plays when you had to, and lit up the courts with your enthusiasm and regard for each other.
“Now we have one more very important game to play this season. Regardless of the outcome, I want you to know how proud I will be to take you on the court for that game. Of course I know none of us will be totally happy unless we win, so I am going to do everything in my power to make that happen. That game is four days away. Right now the most important thing you can do is celebrate a little — after all you earned it — relax and rejuvenate. Then we will prepare for our next opponents.
“Tomorrow I want all of you to take the day off. No practice tomorrow. Instead relax, get some extra rest, maybe catch up on your homework, visit with your friends and family. Then Thursday at 3:00 we will meet again to prepare for our final victory. Now give me that cheer!”
The team members jumped up, circled around the coach, put their hands out and yelled “TEAM MERRIAM!” as loud as they could. Then they all exchanged hugs and handshakes with their coach and with each other.
Later, as Jason would reflect on this game and this particular moment, he would always say that what he felt after the game was one of the finest moments of his life. “This victory wasn’t something that was given to me, or I stumbled into. I earned it through years of practice and devotion to the game and to my teammates. It was a totally awesome feeling!”
After taking a quick shower and getting dressed, Jason went outside where Laura, his parents, Daniel, Eric, Tim, Nick, and Jonathan were waiting for him. Because all of the team members had parents coming to the game, the players were released to them instead of having to take a team bus back to school.
Laura came up to Jason first, gave him a hug and kiss and said, “Jason, I am so proud of you. You and your teammates put on a great game tonight.”
“Just knowing you were in the stands rooting for me made all the difference in the world, babe!” Jason said smiling back.
Jason then gave his mom a hug. “As someone I know likes to say, you were awesome tonight!” Edith Hunter told her son.
“When I put that basketball hoop up in our driveway ten years ago, I never thought it would lead to something like this,” Bill Hunter added, shaking Jason’s hand and giving him a hug. “Now in addition to bragging about my son the detective, and my son the philanthropist, I need to add my son the basketball star to your list of accomplishments. Your play and that of your team was very fine tonight, Jason.”
“Thanks, Mom and Dad,” Jason replied. “Your encouragement over the years was what made this all possible.”
Then Jason went over to Daniel and his other friends. They gave him bro handshakes and congratulated him on the game. “The only thing that would have made this night better was if you guys were playing in a pep band on the sidelines!” Jason told his friends.
“I think we will pass on that one, Jason,” Daniel said. “It was hard enough just watching in the stands. But you, Chauncey, and the rest of the team really shined tonight!”
“It’s because we knew that you guys and a lot of other friends were in the stands supporting us,” Jason responded. “Thanks for coming, guys!”
“Hey, you always come out for ou
r performances,” Eric said. “Tonight we wanted to return the favor!”
Chapter 21
Chauncey’s Dilemma
(March 9)
It was late in the afternoon on Wednesday. Chauncey Jackson was starting to walk back home from a nearby school playground, a place he often went by himself to work on individual shots. Even though there was no team practice after school, Chauncey had personal routines that he liked to run through on his own. With the most important game of the season looming ahead on Saturday, Chauncey wanted to make sure he was at his peak performance level.
About a half block away from the school, suddenly two men appeared in front of him. They both were dressed in dark clothing with black leather jackets and black boots. “Nice game last night, Chauncey,” one of the men said.
Chauncey, who immediately had tensed up when the men appeared, relaxed a little. “Merriam High has a good team this year.”
“Do you really think that you can beat St. Bernadette for the championship?” the other man asked.
“They are a very good team, but so are we,” Chauncey replied. “The outcome will be determined on the basketball court this Saturday.”
“That’s what we wanted to talk to about,” the first man continued. “How would you like to make an easy two hundred dollars?”
“What are you talking about, and how do you know my name?” Chauncey asked them with an edge to his voice.
“We know a lot about you, Chauncey,” the man went on. “We know that you are the star player for the Merriam team. But even star players can have a bad night, you know, miss a few critical shots at key points in the game.”
“Are you trying to bribe me to throw the game?” Chauncey said, now with real anger in his voice. “I’m not interested in your money. Now get out of my way!”
“We are not finished with our conversation, yet, Chauncey,” the second man said with a mean edge to his voice, especially when he said Chauncey’s name.
Days of Destiny Page 17