Chapter One: Television Lights
The flushed sportscaster cocked his head to one side, adjusting his earpiece. The hot light over the remote TV camera caused tiny beads of sweat to dot his forehead. “On in three,” the producer grunted, counting down.
“Well, folks, we’re here live at courtside at the high school where our Hampton High Panthers just finished – as anticipated – a thirteen - and - three season.” Sports announcer “Big Max” had been a regular fixture at the last two home games, both big blowout wins for the varsity squad. “And Bucky Stone, always in the thick of things here during what we call Panther Pandemonium . . . you had another outstanding game tonight.” He shoved the microphone in the tall athlete’s face.
Bucky grinned. “Thanks. The whole team had a pretty good night.”
The older man hesitated for just a moment. “All around the district, people are saying that this is a team that just can’t be beat. You fellows came back from Hawaii where you didn’t win the invitational. But somehow that tournament kind of kicked you men into high gear. Five straight wins plus the three wins from before – that’s a pretty hot eight in a row heading into the playoffs. Tell us right here: can anybody beat the Panthers?”
The athlete shook his head. “Well, we’re playing about as good as I can remember. And once we got Volker back, Coach told us we didn’t really have any excuses after that.”
Just out of range, Dan Litton made a face at him. “I want to get on TV too!” he whispered loudly. “Say something about Litton. Dan Litton!” Bucky tried not to laugh.
“There have been a few stories in the paper where you’re really the one who holds this team together,” Max went on. “That after Bill came back to the team, you went to him and kind of patched things up. And of course, with your, you know, religious experience and everything.” He hesitated. “Any comment?”
The liveness of the moment gave Bucky a prickly feeling. “Well, Dan and I play for God,” he said simply. “I mean, that’s all there is to it. So when Bill came back, I just went to him and said, ‘Bygones are bygones, Volker. We’re teammates, man. Let’s go undefeated the rest of the way.’ And he’s been marvelous to play with.”
The TV reporter gave a little nod, accepting the words. “Well, whatever you guys have going in that locker room, it’s working big - time. Best of luck to you in the playoffs, Bucky.”
Max faced the camera. “For News at 10:00, this is ‘Big Max’ with all the big stories. Back to you, Donny.”
Dan came over and feigned a little kick at his teammate’s shins. “You’re the biggest camera hog in California,” he complained. “Couldn’t you work me in at all?”
“I did!” Bucky protested. “Didn’t you hear me? I said something like, ‘Dan and I play for God.’ See? ‘Dan and I.’ Last I checked, that was you.”
“Oh yeah.” Chastised, the stocky forward managed a grin. “Let’s grab a shower, shorty. Wash some of that stardust out of your hair.”
The hot water felt good – especially after eight wins in a row. Still, he felt something disquieting about the air of invincibility that permeated the hallways and basketball arena of Hampton Beach High. He sidled over to where Dan was still lathering up. “You think this whole playoff is as automatic for us as everybody says?”
Dan shrugged, rinsing some soap out of his face before answering. “Beats me. We’ve clobbered every team in the league. And with Billy Boy, we’d have gone sixteen and oh. But still, anything can happen.”
“I know, I’m kind of worried that everyone’s so, I don’t know . . . complacent.”
“Yeah.” Dan eased down the water pressure a bit so he could hear. In the far corner Bill and Jonesy were screaming at each other good - naturedly about some botched play that wasn’t anybody’s fault. “Look, all we can do is play hard like we’ve done all along. Just don’t let us get complacent. We’ve got the best coaching and the best starting five. If the baskets drop, we’re going to win. After that, we just play for God like always.” He laughed. “Like you said on nationwide TV.”
Bucky starting laughing. “Oh, right. Nationwide. Big Max probably has all of fifty viewers on that podunk station.”
The winter night air was cold as they left the athletic complex. With the last contest being such an automatic win, Bucky’s parents had finally skipped a game. He fumbled for his car keys. “Julie didn’t come tonight?”
The older boy shook his head. “Nah. She knew we’d win by nine thousand points, so she said she was going to work. She’ll come to all the playoffs, though.”
“Litton finally has a girlfriend.” Bucky bumped his teammate’s leg with his duffel bag. “It’s about time.”
The new romance had been sparking along well for about three weeks now. Julie, a medium - height senior with tight curly hair and a big laugh, matched Dan’s ebullient sense of humor well. She was a self-proclaimed Jesus freak, and had already starting attending church with Dan and Bucky. It was funny how, after three and a half years of going to the same high school, Dan and Julie had suddenly “noticed” each other shortly after the Panthers returned home from their Hawaii adventure.
“Next Monday we’re playing for real.” Dan’s face suddenly turned sober. “Man, I really want to finish champs at this place.” He looked around at the nearly deserted campus. “Plus in baseball too.”
Bucky nodded. Next year he’d be at a Christian college with Dan and Sam, so this was a kind of final opportunity to participate in sports at such an advanced level. Both keenly felt the desire to win in a way that their commitment to Jesus would be obvious to those who watched. Was it possible that their senior year might include back - to - back championships for the two young Christians?
He sat for a moment in the little white Toyota, thinking, as Dan’s sports car gunned into the darkness. The euphoria of being the sparkplug of such a hot basketball team this school year was tempered by a continuing loneliness that still tugged at him. Since Hawaii, he’d seen Lisa only once as she drove out of the high school student parking lot. She had given him a little wave, kind of a wistful gesture.
Mom and Dad were sitting around the kitchen table, enjoying a rare game of Scrabble, when he came in. “Hey, champ.” Dad plunked down three letters and sniffed impatiently as he counted up the meager points. “You guys win, I assume?”
“Yeah.” Bucky took a quick peek at the playing board, which was hopelessly crowded on the bottom half. “Yuck. It’s pretty gummed up, looks like.”
“It’s your mother’s fault. I set her up for the triple word score about three times, and she puts down words like ‘cat.’ So it’s all crowded down there.” His father picked the three remaining game pieces out of the pile and pretended to scowl at them. “Horrible. I haven’t had a good letter all night. So how much you beat ‘em by?”
“I don’t know. About fifteen.”
“All right. Skunk City. You boys ready for the playoffs?”
“I guess so.” He paused. “Is Rachel Marie asleep yet?”
Mom shook her head, fumbling with her last letters as she did so. “Are you kidding? It’s getting harder and harder to get her to bed. She just went about ten minutes ago.” A giggle. “So feel to go up and spank her real hard.”
Bucky put his gear in the closet. “I’ll go see her for just a minute.”
It was dark upstairs, and he quietly felt his way down the hallway. Even as a fourth - grader, his sister still liked having a small night light, and he could see the soft glow coming through under the door to her room. He tapped lightly on the door and then went in. “Hey, short person.”
“Hi.”
Fritzie the Bear was perched on the pillow next to her. He reached over and nudged the stuffed animal back into place. “How was school today?”
“Good.” Her voice was drowsy. “Did you and Dan win?”
“We sure did.” He leaned down and kissed her. “And we dedicated the victory to Miss Rachel Marie Stone, the beautiful sister of the all-star for
ward.”
“Did you really? Cool!” Then she frowned at him. “You didn’t really, did you?”
“Well . . . sort of. In my mind, we did.” He grinned. “Just now, that is.” He kissed her again. “I love you, I guess.”
“Me too.” Her eyes were already closed as he edged toward the door.
Round One in the basketball tourney started out harder than the hometown Panthers had anticipated. The varsity team from Milpitas, as outclassed as they were on paper, and with just a 9-7 record, held the Hampton Beach squad in check during the first half, and even led by a pair of baskets late in the game. Jonesy Wilson, in particular, was having an off night, missing several easy layups. But Brayshaw’s players, after a tense timeout with five minutes left, managed to come back and win by six points.
It was a sober team that showered after the game. “I told you,” Bucky warned Dan as they toweled off. “We’re not as invincible as everyone thinks.”
Obviously concerned as well, Coach Brayshaw called an extra practice for Tuesday afternoon, and ran the team through it as if it was preseason. “Come on, come on, come on!” he shouted during the endless rebound drills. “Box somebody out! Put a body on him!”
Ironically, the Thursday semifinal game was easy compared to the previous squeaker. The Panthers came screaming out of the chute and scored nine unanswered points, including a long - range three - pointer from Bill Volker. The stunned Tornadoes tried to come back midway through the half, but Hampton’s lead never dipped below fourteen points. The comfortable home crowd cheered amiably with every Panther basket. However, the game lacked the usual intensity of a playoff do - or - die contest.
“That’s more like it,” Dan grinned, accepting a kiss from Julie outside the locker room. “Like taking candy from a baby.”
“Yeah, but now we’re complacent again,” Bucky grumbled as the three of them walked toward Dan’s Camaro. “How’re we going to get psyched up again for Monday?”
“Hey, that’s the finals,” his friend asserted. “I’ll have no problem getting excited about that one. Last chance for a championship ring, Stone.” He looked over at Julie. “Shall we invite our lonely friend to go out for ice cream with us?”
“That’s OK,” Bucky responded. “My folks are waiting for me. Plus I’d just be in the way.”
“That’s true, you would.” Dan started laughing and gave his girlfriend a nudge. “I was afraid he’d think we really wanted him to come.”
Riding home in the back seat with Rachel Marie, he thought briefly about Lisa and their freshman year. Their romantic moments of celebration after games had been part of the fun. The three intervening years seemed like an eternity now.
It was a quiet group of worshipers at church that weekend. Sam was still away at college, and Dan had called him earlier that morning complaining of a sore throat. “Yeah, I’ll be fine for Monday night,” he told Bucky. “It’s just a little bit raw, though, and I don’t want to take chances.” Bucky sat with Mom and Rachel Marie, listening intently to Pastor Jensen’s sermon on winning battles with Satan. “We have a couple of athletes who are playing a pretty big game Monday,” the silver - haired minister suddenly interjected, looking over at Bucky’s pew. “And for months they’ve trained. They’ve sacrificed some of the things they’d probably like to do, so they’ll have every possible edge against a very effective opponent.” He smiled. “And the same is true in our Christian experience.”
Monday evening the Hampton Beach gymnasium was packed for the big final game against Vallejo. Because of a quirk in the schedule, the Panthers had played the visiting team only once during the past two seasons, but Coach Brayshaw had managed to scout out their strengths and weaknesses. “If we stick to our game plan, I guarantee we’ll beat ‘em,” he told the white - clad players in the locker room just before the opening buzzer. He glanced over at Dan and Bucky. “And I know some of you men want to win this last game real bad. Well, me too, believe me.”
The two Christian athletes had just the briefest moment to pray before walking out on the playing floor. “This may be our last opportunity, Lord,” Dan prayed. “Help us to witness for you right here.”
After the first half of play, a sign in the stands seemed to say it all. “It’s So Easy!” Vallejo was having an off night and hardly seemed like championship opponents. The hometown Panthers led by a stunning eighteen points, and could easily have been up by more except for a couple of sloppy plays right before the buzzer.
“Don’t let up, though!” Coach Brayshaw appeared confident, but you could never tell. An eighteen-point lead could instantly evaporate in varsity competition. “Let’s crush these guys so bad they’ll be scared of Hampton Beach for the next ten years.”
Bucky and Dan both got to rest for a good share of the second half as the athletic director shuttled players in and out of the lineup. But with just four minutes left to go and the contest safely “in the refrigerator,” he motioned toward the pair. “Get back in there and enjoy yourselves,” he grinned. “I want my all - stars to finish.”
It was a beautiful end to a great season, Bucky decided, as he dropped in a short eight - footer with just a few seconds left. He’d scored only nine points in the game because of the limited playing time, but the whole team was glowing over the easy win. The nearly full gymnasium gave the Panthers a standing ovation.
Several reporters were waiting in the locker room, and TV cameras had been set up, but it wasn’t the wild media scene Hampton Beach had experienced the year before with the monster win over the Tornadoes. Still, it was a good half an hour before the two Christian athletes managed to get to the showers.
“Somebody finally interviewed me,” Dan grinned, washing some soap out of his hair. “I’m almost as famous as you, Stone.” They both laughed, savoring the success and the nearly four years of shared athletic achievements.
“I gotta confess, I’ll miss some of this stuff next year at Pacific College,” Bucky said at last as they dried off.
“Yeah.” Dan shrugged. “Well, they have some sports.”
“Not like this, though.”
“You’re right.” The stocky boy winced as a sore muscle announced its presence. “Well, we weren’t such big stars that we were going to get drafted by the Lakers anyway.”
Julie was waiting patiently when the two players finally emerged. “There she is.” Dan grinned. “How ‘bout a kiss from a legend on the court, little girl?”
She laughed and tilted her head toward him. Dan looked over at his teammate. “Stone, man, get yourself a girlfriend so we can go out to celebrate like a regular foursome.”
“Yeah, who?”
“Take your pick. Tracy. Lisa. That little Thai girl, what’s - her - name, from southern California.”
“Vasana?”
“Yeah, her.”
“So how does that help us double-date?” Bucky felt a twinge of jealousy as he looked over at Julie. “That’s OK. I’m saving all my romantic prowess for college.” He glanced back into the nearly empty high school gymnasium, realizing again that he and Litton had played their final basketball game as Panthers.
“What are you looking at?” Dan came around from the other side of his car and looked through the open double doors. Coach Brayshaw was deep in conversation with a pair of older men, who were both gesturing animatedly.
Chapter Two: A Change of Leadership
Even though it was a school night, Bucky treated himself to a bit of late - night television that evening. The 11:00 news replayed the quickie interview he’d had with Max Teufeld, and also some of the footage from the locker room. Then before going upstairs he watched a bit of Jay Leno and flipped though the cable lineup a couple times.
He sat on the edge of the bed praying for a few minutes before climbing in, thanking God for giving him the chances to play ball and be a witness for his Christian faith. But he couldn’t help but wonder, even as he prayed, what kinds of witnessing moments might come for him and Dan as they went through t
heir final varsity season in baseball as well. “Lord, please open up pathways for us to proclaim your name,” he prayed. Again he asked God to bless Lisa, then said a quick amen and tossed his socks in the corner of the room.
In the darkness he lay awake thinking about the senior girl. Although he hardly ever saw Lisa anymore, it had been a habit lately to mention her in his prayers. He wasn’t quite sure why.
The next day at school they announced the cancellation of fifth - period classes for a rally in the gym. “We’re going to be heroes,” Dan laughed, tossing books into his locker. “This is your big chance to get a woman, Stone. Better comb your hair.”
“Shut up.” Bucky shook his head, bemused. “You get one girlfriend, Litton, and you’ve had her for all of four weeks now. And all of a sudden, you’re the Casanova of Hampton with your doofus advice.”
“You got it, shorty.”
A big banner stretched across the entire front of the stage area. “Our Varsity Champion Panthers!” it declared. The place was nearly filled with students, and Bucky noticed a lone television crew setting up close to the stage.
Mr. Salomon, the vice principal, was a tall, balding man with a keen sense of humor. “These victory parties are becoming a great way of life around here,” he said into the microphone. Cheers and whistles greeted his statement.
Ted Brayshaw came out to another burst of applause. “Back to back, Teddy Bear!” one of the football players in the back hollered out.
The coach managed a grin, but seemed a bit ill at ease. “Let’s bring the players up.” One by one, Brayshaw listed the names, starting with the subs. “These guys really contributed this year,” he told the student body, his amplified words bouncing off the concrete walls. “Give them a big hand.”
Bucky tingled as the coach finally read the names of the starting five. “With a JV title his sophomore year and now two straight varsity championships, forward Bucky Stone!” He could feel his face burning a bit as he trotted up and gave Volker, Litton, Scott, and Jonesy Wilson high fives. “And here’s our mayor with a special trophy to hand out.”
Bucky Stone: The Complete Adventure (Volumes 1-10) Page 93
