Chapter 6: Scrimmage game against Edwin High School I
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The school day has just ended, and that means Edwin is just arriving or is close. I walk to the gym and pass students in the hall. Many have gotten used to the 6'5 14-year-old freshmen. Some still give looks, though. I make it to the gym doors, and I open them. The game is starting at 3:20, and it's 3:03 right now.
I look at the bleachers, and there are some people already here and sitting down. Most are parents of players. I look, and I see Ellie talking to some other moms that are here. I smile, seeing that she is taking a break from work, even though it's for me. I head to the locker room and head to my locker. I've learned all my teammates' names, which is nice, but John is making sure I still don't get the ball in practice.
I dress down and get into my basketball gear. I put my jersey and team shorts on. I look around the locker room, and I see that some players are nervous. Hopefully, we can win this scrimmage game. It'll be nice to start with a win. "You won't be getting the ball." I hear a familiar voice to my left, and I smirk. I don't know what this guy's problem is, but he'll end up getting what's coming. I don't know when or how. It will happen, though.
I stand fully ready for the game, and I look at John. He may be good for a high school player, but not as good as he thinks he is. "No one is going to think a freshman like you should be starting tonight. The coach will see that after this game and bring Kenny back in the starting lineup." I smirk at him and make my way out of the locker room.
I head to the racks and start to warm up myself. I don't want to reveal any strengths to the enemy, so I just warm up with normal shots. I look through the crowd and see the girl again, the one that causes an ego showing for John. I shake my head as I turn back to focusing on the game. It's okay to like someone, but what's happening isn't normal.
The coach walks out of the locker room and walks under the basket and towards me. "I know that John is going to give you a hard time tonight, and you have been really patient with him. So I warned him after you left the locker room if he doesn't include you, he'll lose captain to Kenny." I look down and smile.
Coach Rodgers smiles back and walks off towards the bench with his clipboard. I look over towards the players on Edwin's side and see that they are similarly built. The tallest player on their team is 6'6 and is playing center. It sucks to be him. I look at the clock, and there is still time to get more shots in. I do so and finish getting warmed up.
I see the refs come out and blow their whistles, marking the start of the game. I walk over to my position in the center of the court and look at my matchup. He is smaller than me by two inches. So I'm going to be at an advantage. One ref brings a ball between the 6'6 center for Edwin and our 6'4 center James. He was the kid I played against in the first scrimmage game.
I watch the ball get tossed into the air, and Edwin's center wins possession. I can see that my match-up won't be getting the ball very often. Most of the plays and shots are made by the guards in high school, which is no different than other high schools. The point guard makes a couple of dribble moves on John, but the height difference is too great. Their point guard is 6'1 at most.
He passes it to the shooting guard on the wing, and they take a bad shot with the clock winding down. The ball hits the rim and pops out towards me. I grab it and quickly start a push to the other side of the court. John is clapping his hands and shouting behind me, but I'm not interested in that. I pull up in transition and hit a 3. The swish makes a nice sound.
Many of our home fans stand up and clap at my play. Most have surprised looks on their faces. I look and see Ellie bouncing up and down, clapping her hands. We quickly switch back to defense. I take my match-up and keep up with the shifts easily. Their point guard gets a good pass to their center, and the center gets them their first bucket. I make my way down the court as James inbounds the ball to John, and he makes his way back down the court.
He makes a couple of dribbles and tries a spin move to get into the interior. However, he is ripped by the point guard's quick hands. I immediately start running after the point guard and pass john, who is running hard too. The guard goes for an easy lay-up, not thinking anyone is behind him, but I block his shot off the backboard, and John catches it.
The bleachers break out in claps. The crowd isn't too big since it's a scrimmage, but it's still a good healthy attendance. I quickly get back on offense and back in my original spot as John runs the offense. I'm going to have to make up for any mistakes he makes. He passes it to our power forward Kaden, who's 6'3. He makes some plays to get in the paint and scores a layup.
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