Chapter 60 The State Champions.h.i.+p 8
In the interval the players of both teams were exhausted, only Jake was a little better, it was a final, which was already stressful and still the score was so close, the Lions had not given up yet, after all, they thought Jake would not hit all the 3-point baskets, they were counting on these mistakes.
Not even the NBA pros get a 100 percent hit in a game, only if they throw a few b.a.l.l.s if Jake wanted the win he could not go here, and the rest of the team was there just to put pressure on the defense and swap pa.s.ses with Jake.
Jake took a look at the bleachers and with his excellent vision managed to see many people, he saw his mother who was smiling at him although still nervous, elsewhere he saw Joseph and his father Oliver, it seems they came to take a surprise and cheer for Jake.
Elsewhere in the stands, he saw the reporter and journalist Eric who was the only one who did several interviews with him and even helped him with some important information, after looking a little longer he saw Clara in the corner of the public next to a beautiful lady blonde who seemed to be the same age.
It seemed that all the people that mattered in his life were in this game to support him, this gave Jake extra energy, the strategy had to be the same as the second period, he would not continue giving shots of 3 as everyone thought, he only will manage the score that guarantees the trophy for his team.
So after a while, the Lions team will be anxious and miss more attacks, and Jake"s team just had to be calm, he looked around and saw that his team was very nervous to whoever was ahead on the scoreboard.
So he thought that if it were him in his places he would also be nervous, after all, they are being suppressed the whole game and can not know if the team can or not win because it does not depend on them, but Jake, so it seems that it was time to be The captain.
"Guys, everyone here, I have a few words to say."
The players immediately approached and crouched around Jake as they did to listen to strategies, if the captain had an order they would listen to it.
"Look at you all scared, calm down, I"ve said that before, but when we"re ahead of the leaderboard, who should be nervous are not our opponents, we deserve to be in this final no matter what you think or what others say."
When he said this the whole team relaxed as if it was magic, they were even a little embarra.s.sed, Jake was much younger than them and also as captain and team ace was suffering a lot more pressure than they did, but those who were there were tremendous they were the ones who had to set an example.
"Everyone here knows how important this game is, I do not know the whole story but I know that in ten years at least it"s the first time our school has a team in the final, and that"s our chance, we"re going to win and be the first school in at least decades to be in a national champions.h.i.+p. "
"I"m going to say this for the first time, I know we have no chance to go very far to the national champions.h.i.+p, so let"s give all of us here and so we can spend our vacations and holidays with a smile on our faces and make our family proud."
"Close your eyes and try to remember everything that we have been going through since the regional champions.h.i.+p so far, we have defeated some teams that would have gone further if they had not faced us, we are strong, what I need you to do is tighten as much as possible the marking and try to force them to give 2-point shots and not make the points with layups which is what they are best, let"s win. "
So the whole team had fire in their eyes and a willingness to win, they forgot the nervousness and just wanted to do everything they could to say after they did something to help the team to be the champion.
After that, Jake called Owen alone in a corner.
"Owen I have two important missions for you to do until the end of this game, the first one, if I miss a shot you should get the rebound, this is what you are best, you do not lose in height and neither skills for them, and second if you have a chance, I want you to block one of your players, to show that it"s not anyone who can be strolling around our basket, I"m counting on you. "
Although Jake knew it was difficult, he also had to give a purpose to his team.
So the third period started and the game was weak again, everything was going very well in the defenses and did not invent much in the attacks, Jake did not try any 3-point shot and Jake"s team continued in the advantage by 4 points.
Only at the end of the third period did the Lions team begin to become visibly nervous and trying to defend more and unstable in the attacks.
In the last period, the pressure of the Lions arrived at an absurd level, as Aiden and Lucas became tired the adversaries began to tighten the mark in Jake that could not go to the layup anymore.
So he was forced to try the 3-point shot, the first one he tried to hit and in the Lions" comeback attack he was rushed and careless and Owen saw an opportunity and a block on Edward.
The ball fell into the hands of Aiden who tired just pa.s.sed quickly to Jake who fired at speed before long Jake was already running alone into the basket and had left his markers behind, so scored two more points in the layup.
Now the final was with Jake"s team managing to lead by a 7-point advantage, and only half of a period was missing, but the Lions did not give up, he continued to tighten the mark over Jake who had to give another 3-point, but as it was with little s.p.a.ce he missed and Owen managed to get the rebound alone against 3 scorers and scored two more points,
The players of the Lions team were heartbroken because they knew this could be their last chance, then 2 minutes into the end of the game John was distracted and tired Jake took this opportunity to steal the ball and score 2 more points and open the advantage to 9 points, so the final game was over.
n.o.body else tried anything and time just pa.s.sed to celebrate the new state champions, all of Jake"s team celebrated and hugged and some even cried for joy, but on the other side, many Lions players were crying with sadness.
Some reporters and family members were allowed to enter the court to celebrate with the winning team, Jake was also very happy this time, it was a great achievement for him, and it was also good to see the smile of his teammates and his coach who fulfilled one of his dreams.
This could be considered a farewell gift from his first teammates in his life and they were with him so far, after all, Jake knew he would not be here next year.
He was much happier when he greeted his friend Joseph and his older friend Oliver who came to see this game and cheer for him, he then hugged his mother and stood beside her hugging until the organization called them to receive the medals and pick up the trophy.
Jake received with great happiness and pleasure his medal and then they were called to erect the trophy, so they took a beautiful photo that would be a great souvenir for all of them, even more, to crown the party Jake received the MVP of the state champions.h.i.+p which was much more significant for all.
After that while his companions celebrated Jake tried to go near his mother again more Owen grabbed him by the collar and without warning he lifted him and then he was erected by the whole team and thrown up several times, everyone was happy, it was a day to be remembered.
After this Jake managed to escape to be hugged with his mother where it was safer when they saw that everyone smiled, there they remembered that Jake was only 11 years old.
When Jake tired of the whole celebration tried to call his mother to leave more was stopped on the way by Eric the reporter, he wanted to leave more could not deny an interview for a reason like this, especially someone who supported him and helped him and followed him since the first games.
"Alright Eric, you can ask your questions."
"Hahaha, I know you"re tired more now you"ve won the champions.h.i.+p and been elected MVP, it"s a great thing so I can close my story and column with a golden key."
"Tell me what you"re feeling with everything that happened today, you so young and in your first league and your first year in a basketball team has won all the t.i.tles so far and also always been the MVP."
"I feel very good and happy, that all the effort I"ve done so far has had results and happy for my teammates as well, the opponents we faced until the final were very good and I"m happy to be the champion."
"Before taking a picture for the cover of your interview, there is someone you want to thank for that victory that supported you on your way here."
"I would like to thank my mother who is here on my side, without her I would be nothing, I would also like to thank my friend Joseph who also supported me a lot throughout the school and my teammates who allowed me this opportunity and the Sports 100 company that sponsors me and gave me the comfortable sporting goods that I have used in every game and allow me to fully concentrate on basketball. "
Eric and Eva were thrilled by Jake"s first words and were impressed by his eloquence to talk about his sponsors.
"So can we take the picture for the cover?"
"Of course, I can take it with my mother?"
"Of course it will look even better."
So Jake took his uniform out of the final and underneath he had a s.h.i.+rt written "Sports 100", Eric could just take the helpless photo consoling it would be a good interview.