Page 22 of Full Court Crush

A warm, golden light filled her, helping turn her legs back into muscle. Her dad had always been her biggest fan. He’d attended as many of her college games as he could in person, and watched the rest from home, even when it involved very late nights or early starts. His unwavering support meant the world to her.

She took the remote, quickly navigated to the right page, and found the livestream.

“Thanks, love,” he said and picked up a book before settling back into his chair. The screen counted down to the start of the broadcast.

“Do you have everything you need?” she asked, scanning the room to check he had blankets, drinks, and snacks in reach.

“Yes, thank you. I’m all set.” He lowered his book and smiled fondly.

“Right, I’m off then.” Keira leant down to kiss him on the head. He reached up and pulled her further down into a hug. She may not have been able to get a hug from Sonia, but a hug from her dad was even better medicine.

“I’m so proud of you, kiddo,” he said against her ear, then kissed her cheek before releasing her and returning to reading.

Keira straightened and watched him for a moment, further reminded that moving home had been the right decision. It also reminded her how important it was for her to keep her place on the team by playing well today. She took a deep breath, grabbed her things, and headed out the door.

Their training baskets had been folded up to the ceiling and the courts’ dividing curtains were gone. Instead, temporary baskets and court markings spanned the space, and pull-out seating bordered the long sides of the court. A short scaffold carried television cameras at one end. Around two hundred people littered the stands. The attendance paled in comparison to the more established teams, but it was still an improvement on previous seasons, if the club’s social media was reporting correctly.

They were six minutes into a surprisingly competitive game, even if the lopsided scoreline didn’t reflect the Blizzards’ skill and hard work. Amelia, Lucy, and Evie had managed to get shots up under immense pressure, but only a few had gone in.

Keira sat on the bench, tapping her feet, her limbs filled with a static energy that seemed to be growing stronger the longer she absorbed the atmosphere of the game. Someone in the lower seats had brought a drum and was leading the chants; her heart rate sped up with every thud. Staying laser-focused on the game, she tried to identify weaknesses in the armour of the opposition. Their point guard excelled at ball distribution in offence, already racking up several assists. She squinted a little as the point guard adjusted her footing, then faked a pass one way, then sent it flying another.

That was interesting.

After a run of baskets by the Bristol Ballers, Coach Grant called a timeout. The players huddled together. Those fresh off the court were breathing hard; those from the sub bench were fidgety and restless.

“Okay, everybody, take a breath. We knew this was going to be a tough game, but we’re still going to play our way.” Everyone in the circle nodded.

“Keira, you’re in for Asha, but at three,” Coach Grant said.

Keira nodded back, acknowledging the coach’s show of faith.

“Amelia, you’re going to switch to two,” Coach added.

Keira’s every muscle fibre tensed in anticipation of her debut. She forced herself to focus on the tactical instructions and took some deep breaths to calm her nervous stomach.You’ve got this. Sonia’s words echoing around her head:You’re ready.

The referee blew her whistle and called them back onto the court.

Amelia stuck her hand into the centre of the circle, the rest of the team following suit. Keira was one of the last to add her hand, the unity dampening the remainder of her nerves. The other team shouted their chant from near their bench.

“We can do better than that, right, everyone?” Amelia made eye contact with each member of the circle. When her gaze landed on Keira, she paused for half a second. Anxious energy crept back in until the corner of Amelia’s mouth twitched, and she winked at Keira. She had to stop herself laughing, and her nerves dissipated completely.

“Blizzards on three!” Amelia shouted proudly, “one, two, three!”

“Blizzards!” the circle shouted in unison.

The substitutes returned to their seats, while the five players jogged back out onto the court. The Bristol Ballers had the ball, and in-bounded from the sideline. They passed the ball around so rapidly it was enough to make anyone’s head spin. Except Keira. She tracked the ball with precision, continuing to jostle for position with the Bristol centre, wearing number seven, that she was marking. She saw the Bristol point guard adjust the placement of her non-pivot foot, bringing it slightly closer to her body, while she looked towards one of her teammates on the other side of the key. It felt like time slowed down. The point guard faked the pass towards that far side of the key, then quickly changed direction and sent the ball flying towards the player Keira was marking. But Keira was ready. And Keira was faster. She stepped forward and stretched out her hand. Her fingertips just got to the ball, knocking it away from the Bristol centre.

Keira sprinted after the loose ball and got a quick handle on it, aware of the centre breathing down her neck. She quickly scanned the court and spotted Amelia, who was further up the court and completely unmarked. Keira gathered the ball and used a two-handed pass to send the ball whizzing the full width and nearly half the length of the court—straight into Amelia’s hands. Amelia dribbled twice and took an easy layup. The nearest player chasing her down was not even close enough to attempt a block.

“The Blizzards have caused a whiteout! Because there was nothing the Ballers could have done to stop that!” the commentator shouted.

Time sped up again as the friendly cheers helped Keira float back to defence. Amelia gave her a thumbs up from the other side of the key. Keira grinned back and refocused on the game.

Play continued, with the opposition quickly bringing the ball back up the court. The Blizzards’ defence was disorganised due to how swiftly the Ballers responded. Number seven was being more physical now, body-checking Keira and standing on her toes. When the ball quickly swung her way, number seven used Keira like a stepladder to reach the basket. Keira stumbled and fell onto her back with a thud. The number seven stood over her and smirked before running back to defend. The crowd yelled for a foul, none louder than Evie’s dad, sister, and her sister’s girlfriend, but none was forthcoming.

Amelia and Lucy helped Keira to her feet, and Lucy gave her a reassuring pat on the back. Amelia pointedly stared at her, concerned, and Keira nodded to signal she was fine. The extra attention from Amelia threatened to derail her concentration.

She’s just checking on you because she’s your teammate.