Technical Foul

by Rich Wallace

  Palisades went on a hot-shooting tear in the second quarter, so Hudson City had few opportunities to utilize the fast break. By halftime Palisades had built a 27–20 lead.

  “We’ve got to try something different,” Spencer said. “They’re nailing three-pointers. So can we. A couple of treys and we’re back in it.”

  “That’s not our game,” Jared said. “We run. We hammer the ball inside. Stick to that and we’ll break these guys down, just like last time.”

  “We’ll see,” Spencer said.

  Spencer did come out gunning in the second half, but the strategy didn’t work. Spencer hit only one three-pointer in the third quarter and missed four of them. The Palisades’ lead grew to double digits.

  Jared grabbed Spencer’s arm during a time-out. “We’re totally out of our game,” he said. “We’re a team, remember? No heroes?”

  Spencer nodded. “I was just trying to get us back into it,” he said.

  The fourth quarter went better, but the lead was too much to overcome. Spencer started feeding the ball inside, and Jared scored readily from close range. Hudson City cut into the lead, whittling it down to four points in the final minute. But a clutch three-point shot by Leon Johnson sealed the game for Palisades.

  “Man, we should have won,” Fiorelli said in the somber locker room after.

  “We have to stick to our game,” Jared said. “They stopped us from running, but that isn’t all we’re about. If the fast break doesn’t work, we have to get the ball inside. We lost our heads in the second half and dug a hole. When we finally got back to our game, we at least made it close.”

  “We just ran out of time,” Coach Davis said. “I think we learned that we can beat that team in more ways than one. And we may see them again in the playoffs.”

  Jared walked across the room and took a seat on the bench next to Spencer. “You okay?” he said to Spencer, who was staring glumly into his locker.

  Spencer shrugged. “I blew that one, man. I panicked. When they built that lead, I kept trying to make some big statement. Score some points in a hurry. If I’d just been patient, we would have been all right.”

  “Listen, you’ve been a big reason why we went on that winning streak,” Jared said. “As long as we learned something today, then we’ll be fine. I’ve got a feeling we’ll see these guys again.”

  Spencer nodded and tossed one of his sneakers into the locker. “I hate losing,” he said. “Especially when I know we should have won.”

  12

  A Night Out

  Hudson City defeated Emerson in the final regular season game, clinching a spot in the playoffs. The Hornets would meet South Bergen in the first game of a Saturday-afternoon playoff doubleheader at Palisades, with the home team taking on Memorial in the second game. The winners would meet Monday night at Palisades to decide the title.

  Ironically, each of the four teams in the playoffs had one loss and one win against each of the others. There was no telling who would emerge as the champion.

  Friday’s practice was easy, with the Hornets running some basic passing and shooting drills and then scrimmaging lightly for about half an hour. As they left the court, Spencer fell in step with Jared.

  “Got a few people coming over tonight,” Spencer said. “Just to hang out, maybe shoot some pool in the basement. You up for it?”

  “Definitely,” Jared said.

  “I figure we should stick together tonight,” Spencer said. “Minimize the distractions, you know? Keep the focus right where it should be. On the team.”

  “Yeah. Should I bring anything?”

  “I don’t know. You could pick up some pretzels or chips if you want. My mom’s making sandwiches and cake. We’ll have plenty of food.”

  “Sounds great, Spence. I’ll be there.”

  The night was cold, but Jared felt warm as he walked along the Boulevard toward Spencer’s house. Most of the stores were closed at this hour, but the small restaurants and pizza places were open. Jared wasn’t much of a night guy; he spent most evenings at home with his parents. Getting invited to Spencer’s had been a nice surprise.

  Jared reached St. Joseph’s Church at Ninth Street and crossed over to the small grocery store on the corner. He walked down the fruit-and-vegetable aisle toward the back of the store. There was a big variety of chips and other snacks on the shelves back there. Jared picked up a large bag of barbecue potato chips and shook it gently to make sure it was full. Then he felt a poke in the back.

  “What are you doing here?” Jared asked when he turned and saw Fiorelli’s signature grin.

  “Getting some soda,” Fiorelli said. “You headed to Spence’s place?”

  “Yeah. You?”

  “Yeah. Didn’t want to show up empty-handed.”

  “Me, either,” Jared said.

  They paid for the snacks and headed out together. Spencer’s house was just a couple of blocks away.

  “Big one tomorrow,” Fiorelli said as they walked along.

  “No kidding,” Jared said. “Everybody says the playoffs are different. More intense and pressurized.”

  “Seems to be true,” Fiorelli said. “Hard to tell in this town. Hasn’t been much playoff excitement around here for a long time.”

  Spencer’s mother answered the door. “Hello Jason,” she said, smiling at Fiorelli. “Hello,” she said to Jared.

  “Hi, Mrs. Lewis. I’m Jared.”

  Jared stuck out his hand and she took it in both of hers. “Oh, yes,” she said. “Spencer’s mentioned you a lot. Come on in, boys. The others are downstairs.”

  The other three starters and a couple of subs were there. All were sixth graders. The cellar was small and crowded, but somehow they’d managed to fit in a pool table. A game was under way, and music was playing from a portable CD player.

  “Welcome, gentlemen,” Spencer said as Jared and Fiorelli came down the stairs. “One rule: no basketball talk tonight. We need to relax. We’ll have all morning to get psyched for the game. Tonight we avoid the pressure.”

  “Good deal,” Jared said.

  “Fine by me,” added Fiorelli.

  “All right,” Spencer said, chalking up his cue. “You two are up next against me and Willie. As soon as we finish this one off.”

  “Black against white?” Fiorelli said, faking surprise.

  “Hey, that’s the way of the world,” Spencer said, smiling. “It’s all equal on the billiards table. Basketball court, too.”

  Fiorelli grinned and nodded. “I hear you. No basketball talk, though, remember?”

  “Okay,” Spencer said. “New subject. Somebody told me Amanda asked you out yesterday.”

  Fiorelli blushed and rolled his eyes. “It’s like this, Spence,” he said. Then he hesitated. It was no secret that a lot of girls had crushes on Fiorelli, with his all-American-boy good looks and sense of humor. As of yet, he hadn’t made any kind of move, however.

  “Like what?” Spencer asked slyly.

  “She comes up to me after the Emerson game, and she’s like all friendly and everything, like ‘Oh, you played great.’ And I’m like, ‘Thanks, I know,’ even though I had, like, my worst game in a month. And she’s going, ‘We should go celebrate. I’ll buy you some pizza.’ And I’m like, ‘My mom’s making spaghetti. I’m already late.’ So she acts all disappointed, and she’s rubbing my arm and going, ‘How about tomorrow night?’ ”

  “Tonight?” Spencer said. “So what are you doing here, my man? She’s cute.”

  “Oh, man,” Fiorelli said. “I told her I had plans. You know, to come over here. So she goes, ‘Is Spencer having a party?’ And I go, ‘Yeah.’ But then I go, ‘No. No. It ain’t a party really. Just guys from the team.’ And she’s like, ‘What fun will that be? Just guys?’ ”

  “So what are you saying?” Spencer asked. “She’s coming here?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe. But she wouldn’t come alone. She’d bring other girls.”

  “Well, if they show up, they’ll have
to squeeze in here with the rest of us,” Spencer said. “The maximum capacity of this cellar is about six people, and we’re over the limit now.”

  Jared was hoping the girls wouldn’t show up. He’d been looking forward to a fun evening with the team. Girls would only complicate matters. And, unlike Fiorelli and Spencer, he had no idea how to talk to girls anyway.

  Spencer and Willie won the first game of eight ball, then Jared and Fiorelli beat Ryan Grimes and Louie Gonzalez. Spencer’s mom opened the cellar door and called down, “Spencer. More visitors.”

  Spencer looked at Fiorelli, who frowned and shrugged. “Be right up,” Spencer said. He and Fiorelli went upstairs.

  “Man,” said Willie after they’d gone. “I hope they don’t bring those girls down here. Certain times, you just want to be with your boys. This night was supposed to be about getting rid of distractions. If girls aren’t distractions, I don’t know what is.”

  They played three more games of pool before Spencer and Fiorelli came back down, alone.

  “Got rid of ’em,” Spencer said. “No problem.”

  “Yeah right,” Fiorelli said, shaking his head. “No problem for you.”

  “Aw,” Spencer said, bursting into a giant smile. “Listen, Jason, you made the big sacrifice for the team. And we all appreciate it, don’t we guys?”

  “What do we appreciate?” Jared asked.

  “Jason here agreed to take Amanda to the movies tomorrow night after we beat South Bergen,” Spencer said. “It was the only way to get them to leave.”

  “You’re the man, Fiorelli,” said Willie.

  “Yeah, I’m the man,” Fiorelli said. “How do I get into these things anyway?”

  “You’re just too good-looking,” Spencer said. “You need to get your face messed up or something. Maybe take an elbow in the jaw during the game.”

  Fiorelli blushed again. “Let’s get down to business,” he said, picking up a pool cue. “Me and Jared. We’ll take on anybody.”

  Yeah, thought Jared. Pool or basketball, I’ll take on the world. That’s enough, for now.

  13

  Playoff Pressure

  “Gotta admit, this is a great atmosphere for basketball,” Spencer said as the Hudson City players took to the floor at the Palisades gym. Spectators from all four of the playoff teams had filled the bleachers, and music was blaring from the speakers.

  South Bergen was already warming up at one of the baskets, and the players from Palisades and Memorial were sitting on opposite sides of the court, high up in the bleachers, waiting their turn.

  “Big advantage for Palisades, getting to have the playoffs at home,” Jared said.

  “All the other gyms in the league are too small,” Spencer said. “It’s no problem. We know we can win on the road.”

  Jared nodded and looked around the gym.

  “Don’t get psyched out,” Spencer said. “This is what we’ve been playing for. Pressure’s good.”

  “Pressure’s our friend,” said Fiorelli. He poked Jared in the chest. “‘You! You! You!’ Remember? We thrive in hostile environments.”

  “Yeah,” said Jared. “We do.”

  South Bergen came out shooting, nailing a couple of three-pointers in the early going. Hudson City kept things close with a powerful inside game. Spencer was effective working the ball in to Jared, and Jared hit his first three shots.

  “All day,” Spencer said to Jared as they walked toward the bench during a time-out. “That ball keeps coming to you in there.”

  “Don’t be surprised if they start doubling up on Jared,” Coach Davis said. “Look for the open man. Keep getting it inside while we’re able to, but sooner or later they’re going to make an adjustment.”

  Just as Coach said, Jared found himself double-teamed on Hudson City’s next possession. Spencer got the ball in to him, but a forward darted over to help, leaving Fiorelli alone in the corner. Jared pumped to shoot, then fired the ball out to Jason, who hit the wide-open three-pointer.

  “We’ve got too many weapons,” Spencer said as they sprinted back on defense. “They leave Jason open, he’ll slaughter them. They leave just one man on Jared, he’ll eat ’em up inside.”

  South Bergen kept making adjustments, having other players help out on Jared, bringing in fresh players to try to slow down Spencer and Fiorelli. But everything seemed to be going Hudson City’s way. By halftime, the Hornets had a twelve-point lead.

  “They might as well play with six or seven guys,” Spencer said. “They can’t stop us.”

  “There’s still a long way to go,” Coach Davis said. “Stick to our game. Hammer it inside; run when you have the chance. But think defense. Do not let them go on a run and get themselves back in this game.”

  Jared grabbed a towel and wiped his face and neck. He’d played every minute of the first half and was glad to have a rest. He’d probably played his best half of the season, grabbing a ton of rebounds, making nearly all of his shots, and not picking up a single foul. Everything was working today.

  Fiorelli grabbed Jared’s arm as they left the locker room for the second half. “See, my man? No pressure. Just excitement. We use that to our advantage. Am I right?”

  “Absolutely,” Jared said. “Let’s keep it rolling.”

  And they did. South Bergen made a couple of short runs, getting the lead down to eight points in the fourth quarter. But the Hudson City players kept their poise. Jared finished with 24 points and the Hornets eased into the championship game.

  “One more,” Fiorelli said as the players swarmed into the locker room. “Hudson City. Basketball champions. Nobody thought they’d be hearing that a few weeks ago.”

  14

  The Night Before

  Jared stood in the kitchen and looked out at the driveway. The night was cold, but he needed to burn off some energy, to dribble for a few minutes at least and shoot some layups. All day long he’d been thinking about tomorrow night’s championship game. Palisades had defeated Memorial in the second semifinal. Of course, Palisades had handled Hudson City the previous week.

  “What’s up, Jared?” Mom asked.

  “Nothing,” he said. “Just think I’ll go out and shoot.”

  “This late? It’s freezing.”

  “I know. But I need to blow off some steam.”

  “Why don’t you play your guitar?”

  “Not the same,” he answered. “I need something physical.”

  “I see. Tomorrow’s a big day, huh?”

  “Giant.”

  Jared took the ball and headed outside. He dribbled in toward the basket and pivoted, turning his back to the hoop. He feinted left, then swerved and laid the ball off the backboard.

  That would be the key. Get the ball inside and overpower the Palisades’ center. Then stop him on the other end and get that fast break going.

  Jared wanted to win the championship at least as much for his teammates as for himself. They’d come a long way, overcoming so many rough spots. Now, on the brink of the title game, he was more nervous than he’d ever been.

  So much could happen. Palisades could shut down Hudson City’s fast break the way they had last time. Jared could go cold and miss some crucial shots. He might even lose his temper again.

  No, he wouldn’t let that happen. He backed in toward the basket, dribbling the ball and working against an imaginary defender. He gave a quick juke to his right, then pivoted left and lofted a soft little jumper into the basket.

  That was how it would go. Tough and focused. Physical but clean. Smart, hard basketball. That much was certain.

  15

  All or Nothing

  Jared stared at the back of the seat in front of him on the bus ride to Palisades. They’d routed this team once but got pounded the second time. What would happen tonight?

  “We’ll run ’em ragged,” said Fiorelli. Jason wasn’t chattering as usual, but he kept making comments like that, trying to start a conversation. Jared would just nod and say, “Yeah.” H
e could taste the meal he’d eaten right after school—a chicken parmigiana TV dinner. It was a spicy blob sitting in his stomach.

  “We’ll get the outside shots falling so they can’t double up on you, then hammer that ball inside,” Fiorelli said.

  Jared nodded again and glanced out the window. His breath made a steamy fog on the glass.

  “I just wish we would get there and get started,” he said. “The wait before the game is the toughest thing in sports.”

  The Palisades cheerleaders were on the court when Hudson City emerged from the locker room, and the pep band was blaring away. Banners hung on the walls above the bleachers on both sides of the court: “Rip Hudson City!” and “Palisades Rules.”

  Jared’s parents and many others had made the trip to the game, but the spectators were at least 90 percent for Palisades. There was even some booing as Hudson City began warming up.

  Spencer called the starters over and they huddled at the free-throw line. “We love this, don’t we?” he said. “We love shutting people up.”

  “That’s our mission,” Fiorelli said. “The worse they try to make it for us, the better we play.”

  “No intimidation,” said Willie Shaw, who rarely said anything in the huddles.

  “Championship game,” said Ryan Grimes. “Everything we’ve worked for.”

  The other players all looked at Jared, who swallowed hard as the sour taste of tomato sauce came up. He stared at the floor for a few seconds, then lifted his head. “Five of us,” he finally said. “A team. Nobody beats us when we play like a team.”

  “Amen,” said Fiorelli. “Let’s remember that.”

  Palisades came out fired up, showing much more energy than the subdued but patient Hornets. The point guard—Leon Johnson—had a hot hand early on. “Neon!” came the cry from the crowd every time he hit a shot.