Grace Under Pressure (01-16-12)

The crowd fell silent. The only sound came from the injured player, as she cried in pain, slapping the floor in frustration with one hand while grasping her ankle with the other.
 
The other players had returned to their benches while the coach squatted next to the injured player.  I have often wondered what a coach says to an athlete in pain. I don’t know the words he used on this occasion, but his posture radiated calm and concern, and soon the player regained her composure, stood, and limped off the court.  We applauded the student’s courage and the fact that she could exit under her own steam. But on our side, the side of the injured player, our relief was quickly replaced by concern for the game.
 
This all happened last Thursday, at the MCEL Junior High League Championship in Plainville. Our undefeated Lady Ringnecks were playing the Lady Ellis Railroaders for the title.  The game began well, with our girls hitting a couple of jump shots and pulling out to an early lead.
 
However, all was not smooth.  One of our starting players was called for a foul, and then another and then one more.  Coach sat her on the bench and put in our only bench player.  The Eighth Grade Lady Ringnecks, you see, have only six players on the entire team.
 
And then one of her teammates went down.  The court cleared and the crowd grew silent.  From the way she hopped and limped back to the bench, it seemed doubtful that that Lady Ringneck would return.  That left only five girls, one with three fouls.
 
Make that four. Because soon after the injury, she was whistled for her fourth foul.  Coach had to leave her in.  He had no choice.
 
Mercifully, half time finally arrived, with the Lady Ringnecks clinging to a slim lead. The Hill City fans watched the injured player, now with a large ice pack strapped to her ankle, as she painfully made her way to the locker room.  People wondered if we might have to finish the game with just four players.
 
Ten minutes later, the girls came out of the locker room, and to our relief and surprise, the injured player, her ankle now heavily taped, began warming up for the second half.  She moved gingerly, but still took shots with an injured limb.
 
When the half began, she had joined her team, along with the bench sub.  The player with four fouls remained on the bench.
 
The second half was an exhibition of how young players handle immense pressure. With the score close the entire game, the final outcome was always up for grabs. The players felt the pressure to make plays, and this led to many turnovers, missed shots, and mental mistakes.  
 
Yet, somehow, the girls on both sides also made play after play. At one point we made three shots in a row to boost our lead all the way to seven.  But then Ellis came back, cutting the lead to a single point.
 
With less than three minutes to play in the game, coach put back in the starter with four fouls, and she managed to play tough without fouling out. In fact, she made the last shot of the game, extending a fragile two-point lead to four with just seconds left.  
 
And just like that, our Hill City Junior High School Eighth Grade Lady Ringnecks were the MCEL Champions, finishing the season undefeated.
 
Our girls led from start to finish, but it was never easy.  In fact, the game was one of the more tense, suspenseful, and pressure filled competitions I’d ever seen.  Both teams fought so hard and wanted so desperately to win. Fortunately for our Ringnecks, on this night, we were the team that showed just a little more grace under pressure.