Free Triple Threat by Eric Walters

isn’t going to be a rebound to get,” she said.
    â€œThat’s the spirit.” He held out his hand. “Hands in,” he said.
    I put my hand on top of JYD’s, and Kia put her hand on top of mine. “Remember, if we try our best, we play as a team, we play with heart, then, no matter what the score, we walk away as winners. Okay, now break!”
    I took the ball and walked over to the sideline. Ethan walked toward me but gave me lots of space. Both Ben and Devon covered JYD—one behind and one in front—as he set up at the top of the key. Kia was all by herself by the baseline.
    â€œCheck,” I said as I bounced the ball to Ethan. He tossed it back.
    JYD lifted up one of his arms. Ben and Devon reached up to try and cover him, but his arm extended well above their reach. If I tossed it high enough,they wouldn’t be able to get it. But then again … why would I even try?
    â€œJYD!” I yelled and faked the pass to him.
    Ethan jumped back, creating a triple team on JYD. I threw in a hard pass to Kia. She planted her foot, spun, aimed and threw up a shot. JYD fought his way through the other players, getting in position for the rebound in time to see the ball swoosh right through the hoop—nothing but net!
    The small crowd at courtside exploded! People started whooping and hollering, and one guy ripped off his shirt and started waving it around his head! It was obvious whose side they were on. They probably didn’t like being bullied by these guys any more than we did.
    JYD patted Kia on the back. He then reached down and grabbed the ball. “I think this belongs to you,” he said as he handed the ball to Ben. The other team had been so stunned that they hadn’t even reacted to the shot or the basket.
    â€œSmart,” JYD said to me as I walked by. “You saw the open look and changed the play. That’s the sort of thing a good point guard does.”
    Kia walked to the top and took the ball check while I scrambled over to cover Devon. Ethan threwit inbounds to Devon. It was a high, soft, lob pass that was a good three feet over my head. I couldn’t have gotten it with a stepladder.
    I backed over a few steps as Devon began dribbling. He was so smooth, feeding the ball back and forth through his legs, doing little stutter steps. He had great control of the ball. He broke left, and as I jumped over to cover, he crossed me over and turned the corner on me like I was a traffic pylon. Kia rushed off her man to try to help, but Devon beat her as well. He broke in, hit the paint and went to lay the ball in. JYD reached out and grabbed the ball, pinning it against the backboard.
    Again the crowd just went wild! I stood there, stunned, as he dribbled out of the key and past the three-point line.
    â€œNeed some help!” he yelled out, and I unfroze and faded out and into the open.
    He fired the ball at me. I caught it, but the force of the ball practically lifted me off my feet. I recovered and started dribbling. I expected somebody to rush me, but nobody came. Ben and Devon were all over JYD, and Ethan was fading off to the side, trying to stay close enough to Kia to get in her way if I put the ball to her.
    Kia ran over to the far side and Ethan went with her. I had a lane to the net. I hesitated for a split second and then drove.
    I was in the paint before Devon split off from his double coverage and came at me. I feathered a pass into the upraised arms of JYD. As everybody converged on him, I kept moving in and he sent the ball back to me for an uncontested, open layup. The ball bounced off the backboard and into the net!
    For a third time the spectators cheered wildly, and Kia rushed over and gave me a high five.
    â€œNow that was a power forward move off the give and go,” JYD said. “We’re gonna have to try that one again.”
    â€œThat makes it five to nothing,” Kia said. “You guys planning on scoring at all this