by Rich Wallace
Jamere tossed him the ball.
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Kyle nailed the shot.
Fairfield won the title!
Ending
2
Best for the Team?
Jamere took a deep breath. “I think it’s best
for the team if Kyle starts,” he told Coach. “He’s
a better defender against Freeman.”
“That’s true,” Coach said. “This is your
decision to make. But this is just between you and me, Jamere.”
“I decided to swallow my pride,” Jamere said.
“If it was anybody but Kyle, I’d feel better about
this. But I shouldn’t hurt the team because he’s
a jerk.”
Coach laughed. “You’ll play plenty. Freeman
has enough energy to tire out two point guards.”
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Kyle made a few sharp remarks during the warm-up about Jamere losing his starting job.
“Ignore him,” Hector said.
“Seems like you tell me that every day,”
Jamere replied.
Freeman played a different style today.
Instead of looking to shoot on every possession,
he ran the offense like a quarterback. Several
pinpoint passes led to easy lay-ups by the center.
Westwood built an early lead.
Kyle missed four shots midway through the
first quarter. “Let’s see if you can do better,”
Coach said to Jamere. “Freeman’s picking us
apart.”
Jamere scowled at Kyle as he took his place on
the court. Kyle looked away.
I’ll give us a spark, Jamere thought. Kyle might never get off that bench again.
But Jamere missed his first two shots. Freeman
continued his sharp offensive play. He took the
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open shots. He also relied more on smart passing.
Westwood built the lead to double digits.
“They’re simply outplaying us,” Coach said at
the half. He pointed at Kyle, then Jamere. “You
two. The only way we can win this game is if
both of you are out there. Playing together. If you
act like rivals, we’ll get run out of this gym. If
you act like teammates, we’ll have a chance.”
Jamere hung back while the others went to
the court. “Kyle,” he said.
Kyle stepped closer and stared.
“We should double-team him sometimes,”
Jamere said. “Force him to take a bad shot.”
Kyle nodded. “Look for me making some
sharp cuts,” he said. “He’ll be expecting me to
run the offense. Maybe I can shake loose for an
open lay-up.”
But Fairfield had dug a deep hole. Kyle’s
back-door lay-up idea worked once. And, they
managed to force Freeman into an off-balance
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shot that missed. But the lead stayed between five and eight points throughout the second half.
“We need one big run,” Coach said during a
time-out. He had to shout to be heard above the
spectators. They were stomping their feet and
chanting “West-WOOD” over and over.
Jamere looked up at the scoreboard. 40–34.
1:38. 4Q.
Kyle shadowed Freeman, making him stop his
dribble and force a risky pass. Lonnie grabbed the
ball and tossed it to Jamere.
Patience, Jamere told himself. Plenty of time.
He and Kyle passed back and forth, dribbling
in and out. Finally Jamere cut into the lane. Kyle
passed the ball, and Jamere immediately fired it
back.
Kyle made the three-point shot.
Freeman scored again to make it 42–37. The
spectators leaped to their feet. They stayed like
that for the rest of the game.
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Jamere set a screen and Kyle eased by. He flipped the ball to Lonnie for a lay-up.
“Press!” Jamere yelled as he hounded his
opponent. Freeman tried to pass the ball safely.
Kyle tipped the pass. Jamere raced toward the
bouncing ball. He took it in stride and dribbled
to the basket. His lay-up cut the lead to a point.
Freeman called a time-out.
Jamere leaped into the air. Kyle raised his fist
as they ran to the bench.
“Make them earn it,” Coach said. “If they
score two, we hold for a final three-pointer. If we
get a stop, then one basket will win us the title.”
“Let’s go!” Jamere said as he joined Kyle on the
court. Finally, they were playing like teammates.
The championship was right there for the taking.
Jamere stuck to his opponent, keeping an eye
on Freeman, too. The seconds ticked away.
The ball went inside. Kyle and Jamere crashed
in to stop a lay-up.
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But the ball flew back to the top of the key.
Freeman easily made the three-pointer.
The fans counted down the final seconds.
Kyle’s three-point shot at the other end wasn’t
enough.
The final buzzer sounded. Game over.
They’d come so close.
Jamere sat down hard on the bench, with
Kyle next to him.
Jamere wiped his forehead with his wrist.
“Why didn’t we work together like that all
game?” he whispered.
Kyle shut his eyes. “Why not all season?” he
asked.
Jamere looked out at the court. Freeman was
being mobbed by the spectators. “Yeah,” Jamere
said, slowly shaking his head. “Why not?”
“We’ll do better next season,” Kyle said.
Jamere nodded. He liked the sound of that.
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Ending
3
Teamwork
The Westwood gym was even rowdier than
last time. Jamere did his best to tune it out. He
felt loose and confident.
Coach Sanchez had agreed with Jamere’s
decision to have Kyle play point guard and cover
Freeman. Jamere would start, too, but with less
pressure at the other guard spot.
“Kyle better not freeze me out this time.”
Jamere bounced the ball to Hector. “This game
is too important.”
“That cuts both ways,” Hector said. “You have
to work with him, too. Pass the ball.”
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“I’m not the problem,” Jamere insisted.
Hector rolled his eyes. “He’s most of the
problem. But you’re part of it.”
Lonnie won the opening jump and tapped
the ball to Kyle. Jamere was surprised to see
that Freeman was guarding him. Maybe he
thinks I’ll be playing the point, he thought. But Freeman continued to cover Jamere after several
possessions, even though Kyle covered Freeman
when Westwood had the ball.
Both teams were ice-cold. Westwood called a
time-out midway through the first quarter. The
game was tied, 2–2.
“Great defense so far,” Coach said. “Keep
shooting. The shots will go in.”
Jamere hadn’t taken a shot yet. Freeman had
guarded him tightly. The best Jamere could do
was to set screens for the others and make a few
passes.
Kyle poked Jamer
e’s shoulder. Jamere turned.
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“Cut to the basket,” Kyle whispered. “Try to get a jump on Freeman.”
Jamere nodded. He might catch Freeman off
guard with a quick cut inside.
Freeman finally made a shot to give Westwood
the lead. Jamere hung back on offense, passing
back and forth with Kyle. Then he stood still for
a second, acting lazy, before darting toward the
hoop.
Kyle sent a perfect bounce pass into the lane.
Jamere scooped it up. He made a lay-up, despite
getting fouled from behind by Freeman.
“Smart move, Jamere!” Coach called.
It was a good move. But Jamere knew the
“smarts” had come from Kyle. Jamere made the
free throw.
Freeman hit a couple of jumpers. Now
that Jamere wasn’t covering him, he’d noticed
something about Freeman’s style. When play
stopped for a free throw, Jamere waved Kyle over.
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“Freeman doesn’t like to go to his left,” Jamere said. “Force him in that direction. I’ll help out.”
The strategy worked. Twice Kyle overplayed
Freeman to one side, not letting him drive to the
right. The first time, Jamere stole the ball. The
second, Freeman missed an off-balance shot.
“Not as loud in here as last time.” Jamere
turned to Coach during a rest.
“That’s because we’re outplaying them,”
Coach said. “Don’t worry. It’ll get loud again.”
Coach was right. When Freeman hit a long
three-pointer, the fans erupted in cheers. They
grew even louder when he sped past Kyle for a
lay-up.
“I think Kyle’s hobbling,” Jamere said.
“I think so, too. Report in.”
Jamere kneeled by the scorer’s table until the
next whistle. “Ankle okay?” he asked Kyle.
“No problem,” Kyle said. But then he winced
in pain.
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Kyle stayed on the bench for the rest of the half. Westwood led by three points at the break.
“Kyle’s done,” Coach said. “Can’t risk a worse
injury to that ankle. So Jamere, Derek, and
Hector, the guard play is all up to you.”
Kyle waved Jamere and the guards toward him
as they left the locker room. “He’s not Superman,”
Kyle said, referring to Freeman. “But he’ll always
take a shot if he can. Double up on him. Force
him to take bad shots.”
Kyle grabbed Jamere’s jersey and held him
back. “You’ve got this,” he said. “Freeman’s going
to score, but you can limit him.”
“Thanks,” Jamere said. “How bad is the
ankle?”
“It’ll be all right,” Kyle said. “But not today.
This one’s up to you.”
Jamere guarded Freeman throughout the
second half. Whenever Freeman slipped away,
Derek was there to help. But Freeman didn’t pass
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to an open player. He ducked his head and tried
to drive. Jamere stole the ball twice. Fairfield
built a lead.
Kyle’s advice had paid off.
Less than a minute remained in the game.
Fairfield led, 45–33, and had wrapped up the
championship.
Jamere finally left the court for a rest. He
walked along the bench, shaking hands with his
teammates. When he got to Kyle, they both let
out a laugh.
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“No more weak links,” Kyle said. “Great game,
Jamere.”
“No more annoying jerks, either,” Jamere said.
“Just champions. And teammates.”
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Write Your Own Ending
There were three endings to choose from
in Backcourt Battle. Did you find the ending you wanted from the story? Or did you want
something different to happen? Now it is your
turn! Write the ending you would like to see. Be
creative!
80
WaWa
UP2U
llac
A d v e n t u r e s
e &e&
C H A R A C T E R
KKiKin
E D U C A T I O N
g
After the starting point guard sprains his
ankle during a game, Jamere steps in until his
Ad U
rival teammate returns for the championship.
ve P2n
But with both boys expecting to start in the
tu Ure
zM@KF@LDSGDHQBN@BG@RJR*@LDQDSNCDBHCD
s
who wil play. The ending is Up2U!
Backco
BOOKS IN THIS SET:
urt Ba
Backcourt Battle
ttle
The Creepy Doll
Lost in Space
The Starving Ghost
I S B N 978-1-5321-3028-1
9 0 0 0 0
9 7 8 1 5 3 2 1 3 0 2 8 1
Document Outline
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Ignore the Noise
Chapter 2: Bye-Bye?
Chapter 3: On Fire
Chapter 4: A Rough Start
Chapter 5: Winning Streak
Chapter 6: Kyle’s Return
Chapter 7: Loud and Rowdy
Ending 1: Facing His Fear
Ending 2: Best for the Team?
Ending 3: Teamwork
Write Your Own Ending
Back Cover