Grit, Determination Win on Basketball Court, in Life

By Jackolyn R. McCoy

Selawik, Alaska - My palms are sweaty. Trickles of perspiration are running down my forehead. My calves are tense; in fact, they're burning. My mouth feels like cotton. I try to moisten my mouth with my saliva, but I don't have any. I take a deep breath, but it's difficult to run down the basketball court. I am breathing heavily. I want to sit down to rest but try to overcome my lack of energy to continue the game. My body aches from running seemingly forever.

With just four minutes left in the third quarter in our game against arch-rival Buckland High School, we are in the time-out huddle. We surround our coach and his clipboard. We watch him draw the lines. We discuss the play. The huddle is over; we step out onto the court. The timer buzzes. I glance up at the clock.

Our team, the Selawik Lady Wolves, is behind by seven points. Margaret in-bounds the ball and passes it to Marcy. In the corner of my eye, I can see Britney open at the three-point line. She doesn't call for the ball but just waits patiently for Marcy to see her. Marcy is dribbling the ball two feet past the half-court line. Finally, she spots Britney and throws her a hard, quick pass. Britney grabs the ball and shoots; it goes in! My heart smiles with relief. We are now just four points behind.

The referee hands the ball to a Buckland player, who in-bounds the ball. I see one of the Buckland girls open, pointing and screaming, "Whose man is that?" Quickly the Buckland player grabs the ball and sinks a three-pointer. The Buckland fans leap out of their seats.

Marcy dribbles the ball up the court, then calls the play.

"Swing It!" she shouts.

I shift to my position. Marcy passes to Britney, who passes to Margaret. Britney cuts to the other side of the court. Marcy replaces Britney's former position to snag the pass from Margaret. Marcy passes it to me. I swing it to Britney, ready for her second three-point shot. She scores! I inhale deeply and slap Britney's hand on our way back to defense. Then both teams trade a few baskets.

Marcy dribbles the ball down the court, motioning a play with her left hand. Martha rushes toward Marcy to set a screen. I move around on my side of the court. Marcy accepts the screen, then drives the ball toward the basket. A Buckland girl picks her up but fouls Marcy on the arm while her lay-up goes in! The crowd is screaming, but I can hear only my own thoughts as my body surges with energy. Marcy makes the free-throw to take us within one point.

Fourth quarter is here. I work harder, ignoring my leg cramps. Nikki wants the ball, speaking to me with her eyes. I keep passing to her, as she never disappoints. We keep feeding Nikki the ball. She scores every time, but so does Buckland.

At half court, Marc receives an in-bound pass. Martha sets another screen for Marcy, but this time stops a few steps away from the screen and shoots and scores. The game's tied with under one minute left!

We get the ball back after Buckland's point guard travels. After a time-out, we are back on the court with 3.8 seconds remaining. Margaret gets ready to in-bound the ball at half court. I wait for her to see me open at the three-point line. She sees me, I get the pass, see no open teammate, and without thinking about it, I release. The ball travels off my fingers and through its arc.

Score!

I forget about the clock and race underneath the basket to guard the in-bound pass from Buckland, but I can see the disappointment in the Buckland girls' eyes. The final buzzer rings through the gym with Selawik on top, 64-61.

That game taught me never to give into pain or fatigue and that hard work in sports and in life can make the difference between victory and defeat.

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