Chapter 13 1V1
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"Check Up," Jess said tossing the ball at me outside the 3point line to me at the retro line. Passing it back I immediately stepped up to put some pressure on her.
She had sprouted over the summer growing a whole 6 inches standing at 5'10 from her previous 5'4. It's weird how she had grown much more than me despite me being more active than her and genuinely eating right. Still, the fact that she is still smaller than me was good for my mental health.
Unlike me, she is a point guard, whilst I prefer the role of a shooting guard or a small forward when I have to get physical. A meter away from me she lowered her stance dribbling the ball with her right as she eyed me. Spreading my arms wide and lowering my stance more so I could react to any sudden attempt.
Seeing this she went through a few between the legs dribles trying her best to make me bite at her feints. That didn't work on me though as i kept my attention on the ball and the positioning of her feet. You can tell a lot about what a player wants to do by those facts, reading their shoulders also works but that leaves you open for feints.
Seeing that I wouldn't bite she took a step forward bumping her shoulder at my chest but I remained firm. Just as I was ready to try and put my long ars to use to steal the ball she performed a behind-the-back dribble escaping my reach. A quick spin move and she was to my left running for the basket.
Turning as quickly as possible I chased after her quickly reaching her side. She had no plans of stopping now jumping into the air looking for a quick layup. Following her into the air I stretched out my left hand in her path. She quickly reacted switching the ball to her right hand and flicking it against the board.
By the time we landed, the ball dropped into the net signalling her successful score. "That's one," she said with a prideful smile looking as if she had already won. Ignoring her I simply picked up the ball ready for my turn on the attacking end.
Defence has never been one of my best qualities and I haven't worked on it much. I figured it was better to sharpen my offensive weapons on my own time and let my future coaches help with my defence. My defensive abilities mostly consist of experience, instincts and my body growth.
"How about we make this interesting," Jess suddenly said just as we were about to restart the match. "How might we do that?" I asked slightly interested in her suggestion as it gave me a good enough reason to go all out.
"A be of course," She replied with a mischievous smile already imagining herself winning. Seeing this I decide to take her bait since I'm confident in outscoring her. Heck, my defensive skills should be enough to force a few turnovers. "What are we betting on" I simply asked already itching to get this match underway.
"If I win you will do whatever I say for a week," she said with an evil grin as if she was suggesting some crazy Idea. However, I know for sure that she wouldn't take it too far and if she somehow happened to win it wouldn't go past teasing.
"Okay but If you lose you'll do my muck-up duties for a week," I told her with a smile throwing her the ball to check before she could even respond. "Deal," she said as she threw the ball back to me immediately stepping to guard me.
Taking a step back I started calmly dribbling the ball remaining standing high to assess her intentions. Her guard was pretty solid for her age and she seemed focused, determined to not let me get past her easily.
I began with a few simple dribbles from left to right, testing her reactions. She was quick, mirroring my movements with precision. Deciding to up the speed I performed a quick crossover to my left. She moved in my path to block me, but I was already transitioning into a behind-the-back dribble, shifting to my right and gaining a slight advantage.
She recovered quickly, though, and was back in front of me before I could take a clear shot. I faked a drive to the right, causing her to shift her weight more to the right, and then pulled up for a jumper from just inside the three-point line. Her hand was in my face, but I had the height advantage. The ball sailed through the air, in a perfect arc, and swished through the net.
"One-one," I said, a grin spreading across my face as I watched her retrieve the ball. She looked a bit frustrated but quickly masked it with a determined expression. We reset, and this time she came at me with a different tactic more aggressive than before. She moved faster, her dribbles more aggressive.
I could see she was trying to use her speed to throw me off. She went for another shoulder bump, but this time I anticipated it and stepped back slightly, giving her room but maintaining my position.
She spun to her right, and I followed closely, my hand reaching for the ball. She switched hands smoothly and made a beeline for the basket. I was right there with her, though, and just as she jumped for another layup, I leapt up too, my hand met the ball in mid-air swatting it away. Although I may not be the best at blocking my improved verticle and height make's it easier to thwat them away.
"No easy points," I said, a hint of teasing in my voice as I picked up the ball. Her eyes narrowed, and I could tell she was getting more serious no longer taking this easy.
We continued our game, trading points and playing harder with each possession. Sweat started to bead on our foreheads, but neither of us was willing to back down. The score was close, and we were both determined to win the bet. She had quickly realised that if she tried to drive to the basket she wouldn't get far. Thus she oped for post-up plays and long-range shots.
She has quite the jump shot managing to score 70% of her points from range. Despite her shooting the score red 10:11 in my favour one point away from taking the win. She knew this so when I checked the ball with her she stared me down with intensity as beads of sweat appeared on her face.
Catching the ball I took things slow wanting to force a mistake rather than forcefully try and score. I dribbled the ball slowly, keeping my eyes on Jess as she squared up in front of me. I made a few more dribbles, testing her reactions, then suddenly exploded to my right, hoping to catch her off guard.
She reacted swiftly, moving to block my path that didn't bother me as I simply readjusted my plan. Pulling my right hand back I scoped the ball back between my legs for a quick change in direction. This change in direction left me a little room to engage my attack.
Not wasting this opportunity I performed a slight hesi followed by a double crossover and escaped to the left side. Jess who had just appeared before me again in an attempt to block me was started. I did not care though since I didn't foul her I charged for the basket taking off into the air after two steps.
Jess was right on my heels, her footsteps pounding the hardwood but she was already too late and didn't bother jumping after me. Sailing in the air a bright smile appeared on my face as I raised my hand up high performing a one-handed tomahawk dunk.
I didn't hang onto the rim not willing to let my arms absorb all that forward momentum. By the time I landed the rim and basket were shaking from the impact. Not minding that though I started pounding my chest in celebration as I turned to face Jess. "Game," I declared, my voice echoing slightly in the gym to her stunned expression.
Jess shook her head, a mix of frustration shining through her as she knew she would be stuck mucking up my share of the stalls for a week. "Alright, alright. You got me," Is all she said before holding her hand out for a handshake.
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Check out my other 2 novels if you want more of my writing Master of Flow will take you on a rollercoaster ride of the glam and shadows of the Rap world. Basketball King follows the rise of a you prospect in trying to achieve his dreams and so much more.
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To Be Continued...