Katie Benson; (My Version)

I jumped for the could-be final shot in the game and the ball swished.
“Yeah, Katie!” my friend Maddie called. We were now in our third over-time, after me making my third shot in the final seconds to tie it up. And guess what? This is the tournement (not the actual final game in the tournement, though). I know, it sounds too good to be true, me being an all-star and tying the game 3 times, but it’s really happening. I’d dreamed of this since I was little! I mean, if I were a senior, or someone close to me had just died, it would sound like some goody-goody story about the final fight or whatever. But, no one has just died (or no one that I know) and I’m a freshman, not a senior.
My sister, Sydney, is a senior, but she hurt her knee so she can’t play. And again, guess what? The school board allowed her to get a medical red-shirt! Sydney is European studies major (emphasis in French) and a Russian minor, but now she is going for a Russian major too, next year.
Anyways, back to the game. At the over-time we got 3-ish minutes to shift people out.
“Alright,” my coach said, “Maddie, Daesha, Megan, Melissa, and Katie, you’re in. Katie, we need you to hit just a few more three-point shots, and Melissa, keep them out! Daesha, keep up the full-court press when we’re tied or we’re winning, but when we go under, if we do, drop back.” Daesha nodded and then we did a team cheer. Okay, now you’ve heard the names, can you guess which school I go to? Well, if you don’t know, I go to Seattle Pacific University, and am the shortest player on the team. Even though my family is tall, I am a mere 5’6.
We took our balls out onto the court, but then threw them back when we saw the time. We had about two seconds left until we started. The buzzer rang and we all got into our defensive position (since I had scored at the last second, they got the ball first). Daesha was up pressing them and then, I couldn’t believe it, she stole the ball. She dribbled up and made an easy lay-up. There was a bit of stunned silence and then we all clapped and yelled “Yeah, Daesha,” or from the crowd “Yeah, Henderson!” She came back to the defense, and we all high-fived her. Daesha is a star senior this year and very aggressive.
The other team dribbled the ball up and then Maddie was on them. They whipped the ball around to the person I was guarding, or at last tried to. I snatched the ball and then started running up the court. But Maddie was faster; I was at half-court when she was under the basket and I threw the ball to her and she made a perfect lay-up.
Maddie ran back again and Daesha went forward to try to make a steal. Daesha hit it out of bounds and the ref signaled that subs were coming in. Maddie went out for a point guard; #3, Jordan Harazin. Melissa (#34) came out for Caitlin Rohrbach. So, now it was Caitlin, Jordan, Daesha, Meagan, and me who were on.
They took it out and Daesha went back to her tough defense. She tried, and failed, to get the ball, but it slowed the opponent’s point guard down a lot. They were making desperate plays to try to get a basket.
Right now, my player had the ball, and she drove and tried to make a drive but she ran right into me and I fell over. The ref called on offensive foul. Our team had double bonus, and they just had single bonus, so I got to shoot two foul shots.
My team high fived me as I walked to the foul line. I wasn’t sure why the coach had put me in; I had 25 points and no fouls, which was good, but I’m a freshman. The coach tried me for the first time at this game, and it was a final game, a freshman almost never played.
I was at the foul line in a second and I wasn’t sure I could make this. Quickly, I shot the ball and it went in, I was ecstatic. Daesha high fived me and I got ready for the next shot. It went in too!
Everyone high fived me and I saw my score go up; I had 27 points. We were beating the other team by six points. My team knew better than to slacken up on our defense because we were winning, though, we’d lost a lot of points because of that before.
I looked into the crowd and saw my all-time favorite play, from last year, Kelsie Burns. She was a great three-point shooter.
Her description on the website doesn’t give her enough credit; she saved them a lot of games. Now, I’m the only person who can really shoot three-point shots, in fact my average is .946, so I’ve got a great three point shot. Also, it just shows her junior year, she was much better in her senior year; REALLY great. In my free time, I’d go to watch the SPU games and practices, usually doing my homework while watching.
Anyways, they had the ball back and now were about to take a three-point shot but I jumped in front of the player and it hit the rim. Caitlyn grabbed it and passed it to Jordan, Jordan gave it to me and I drove for the basket, at the last second, I passed it to Jordan and she jumped for a three. It hit the back rim but Caitlyn grabbed the rebound and passed it again to Jordan who took another three point shot, and this time she made it.
I high-fived Jordan, but then the ref called the subs in. We didn’t sub anyone, but they subbed in a huge German player, who was at least 6’5. I mentally gulped; we needed Melissa or Sydney for her.
I saw Melissa and Maddie get up and go to kneel next to the score-keepers and the ref got her in. Jordan and Meagan came out and Melissa walked over to me.
“Katie, you’re point guard, since you can shoot and dribble,” Melissa said but her eyes said that she’d rather have McKayla or Jordan in, but she’d much rather have me than the other Katie.
“Come on, Mel, I’m not that bad as a point guard, and I have more points than your season high,” I said, laughing. She nodded but wasn’t convinced. Actually, I changed my mind about that look in her eyes; I think she was jealous of my points. I laughed when I thought of that idea, after we’d won a previous championship this year, she got an award, along with Daesha Henderson. “Mel, you’ll make a ton of points, I’m guessing you’re guarding that huge woman.”
“I’m not,” she said, “Maddie is, but I’ll help if she makes a drive to the basket.” I couldn’t believe it. Maddie is great on defense and everything else, but she isn’t big enough to guard a 6’5 player. But if the coach thought Maddie could do it, I would be confident in my teammate. One of our assistant coaches called a time-out and we all ran over. We are using so many time-outs.
“Okay,” Coach van Beek, “we’re going into a half zone, half man-to-man. Maddie, Melissa, Katie, Daesha, and Jordan, you're going in. Maddie, you guard that huge girl, Melissa, you stand in the center and help with drives. Everyone else, pick someone to guard, and help with the empty person that’ll be there ‘cause Melissa is in the middle.” We all shouted out numbers, except me, and I got stuck with whoever was left, the point guard.
I walked over to Sydney for the last 10 seconds of the time-out. Normally, we don't go and talk to the peopleon the bench, but since we're done, no one is protesting.
“Doesn’t Daesha normally guard the point guard, or Nyesha?” Sydney asked, here eyebrows raises, but before I could say anything she continued. “I’m really proud of you, Katie, you are playing amazing. You’ve topped my season high, and you’re guarding them really well. Also, we’d have lost if you hadn’t nailed those three-pointers at the buzzer.” I smiled. My sister didn’t sound jealous, which was one thing I loved about her. Sometimes, we fought, but it was over dumb things like I didn’t high five her in a drill and she’d get all mad, and it was dumb and we always made up. Even though she was injured she was really supportive and she couldn’t go to our games at other places, but she’d bake us cookies. And one more thing, she was really nice. She, like it said in senior night appreciation, believed heavily in God and trusted that he would lead her in the right path.
"Get out there," Coach van Beek says with a smile. She grabs my shoulder for a second and looks me in the eye. "Katie, don't wait until the last minute to take those shots. We need those points." I nod with a brief smile. "Good luck!"
I walk out onto the court, a half-smile on my lips, and turn to Melissa, who looks a Hell of a lot more serious than me. I smile at Daesha, who returns it, but with a little more hesitance.
They've got the ball outside, since we'd scored recently. I mark up on a tall guard (or she could be a short forward). Melissa is standing in the center, Maddy is unsuccessfully trying to guard the tall girl; number 18. Jordan and Daesha have the two girls farthest apart, but are both keeping a careful eye on the one girl who isn't guarded.
They throw the ball in to the person I'm guarding, but I'm not tight on her, and I let her dribble up the court. When she reaches the half-court line, I'm on her.
I swat at her and block her drives, but don't manage to get my hand on her pass. She chucks the ball desperately toward the tall girl, number 18, who forces her way past Maddie and Melissa to make a basket.
"Damn," I say as we get into a small, brief huddle. "Maddy, since I can jump higher than you, let me take that girl; maybe I can stuff her shot. Melissa, you need to keep helping me. Does that sound good?" There are quick nods, and I smile thinly.
"Let's go," Daesha says gravely. The rest of us manage a small smile, but it's mostly only because we're still winning by 2.
We get out of our little grouping, which technically wasn't legal, since we hadn't called a time-out. Oh, well, the referees didn't say anything, since we hadn't been more than a few seconds.
Anyways, we get out of the grouping, and set up. Maddie passes it to Jordan, and she dribbles it in, since the other team isn't playing any more than half-court press, which is practically a first for our team... aren't we lucky.
The ball gets passes to me by Jordan, who then runs to get open right outside the 3-point-line, almost even with the backboard.
I whip it quickly back to her, and then get open a few steps in from the three line. Jordan passes it back, and I take a shot that swishes. Good.
We get quickly back into our defensive positions, and I get the chance to fully size up this new player. She's about a foot taller than me, which looks a Hell of a lot bigger than it sounds. Damnit.
They try to pass the ball to her, seeing that I'm the only one guarding her, but I jump up and swat it to Jordan. Thank God!
The score is 79-70, which is quite amazing, since we'd been behind for most of the game.
She takes her time dribbling it up, and when she gets up, she tries to pass it to Daesha. Despite Daesha's intense skills, the ball accidentally goes out of bounds. The other team gets it.
We settle into our