Rebound: A 2nd Chance

Out on the court Jason was warming up getting some shots up with his headphones on listening to No limits by Hotboii.

'When you gettin' change, everything go different

Hate bein' down, I couldn't wait to be winnin'

I been 'bout my grind, I ain't makin' no limits.'

He felt a tap on his shoulder so he moved his earphones off of one of his ears. After turning his head he saw that it was Kyle.

"Yo Jaya, it's almost time bro. You ready?" Jason let out a chuckle "Dang, look at you bro. You grown to the point where you got the time to be worried about other people."

Kyle rolled his eyes at Jason's joke "I'm not the same guy who used to get nervous playing against a mid-tier team from Riverside.

And besides, it's just good to be able to be out on the court this time around. Last year you guys had to play without me."

Jason noticed Kyle gripping his fists tightly at his sides "And sitting in the crowd not wearing my uniform sucked. Seeing you guys play I just wanted to be down there with you all."

Jason laughed as he put his arm around Kyle's neck "Well you got that chance now. No point in being focused on what already happened right?"

Kyle smiled as he nodded his head "Yeah. No point in dwelling on the past. Because this year we're shooting for that national trophy."

He then stuck his fist out as Jason proceeded to bump it back with a fist of his own.

- - - 

As the game was about to begin Jefferson Middle School and High Bridge Middle School had both of their teams line up to shake hands.

Rudy was all smiles as he walked up to Jason "Yo Jaya, what's with you and the cold shoulder treatment? I was hollerin at you during warm-ups."

Jason shook Rudy's hand "You one of the bros Rudy but once we step on the court there ain't no love here. You'll just have to wait until after the game for me to dap you up."

Rudy scratched the back of his head "Jeez, I guess I should have expected that from you Jaya." Rudy then turned his head as he smiled at Kyle.

"Let's have some fun out there Kyle." But he simply shook Rudy's hand with a firm grip "We didn't come here just to have fun. We came here to win."

After the pregame handshakes were done Rudy grumbled as he complained to his teammates "Can you believe those guys? I get that we're on different sides now but they didn't have to act so cold."

The starting Point Guard for his team rolled his eyes "They the ones with the right mindset if you ask me Rudy.

No matter how close you guys are off the court non of that shit matters when it gets down to game time. You need to remember that as soon as the clock starts."

Rudy let out a sigh as he began to slap his teammate on the back "Come on Honcho, you ever see me let the team down like that?

Don't sweat it bro, I like to goof around but when it gets down to it I know how to handle my business alright?"

Honcho nodded his head "I know Rudy, I know. Just wanted to remind you. We in the last year of middle school. This our last shot at the state title together."

- - -

With both teams out on the court they positioned themselves for the tip-off. Kyle's eyes looked at the ball in the referee's hands with extreme focus.

As soon as the ball reached it's apex Kyle was like an uncoiled spring as he launched himself off of the ground.

The opposing team's Center tried his best to contend with Kyle's insane vertical but his fingertips were still a distance away from the ball by the time Kyle had managed to direct it to his team.

Danilo gathered the ball before quickly passing it over to Jason who began to make his way down the court.

By his slow approach down the court it was clear that Jason didn't intend to start his team's offense before High Bridge could settle down on defense. 

He was going to start the game off with a slow tempo and some half-court offense. Surprisingly enough it wasn't the opposing team's Small Forward that was guarding Jason, it was Rudy.

Jason stared him down as he approached the top of the three-point line with the ball in his hands 'Looks like they're sending Rudy to guard me.

Well it's not like I have the physical power that would make them worried about a mismatch, the difference in size between us is pretty negligible anyways.'

Jason started off with a few slow dribbles as he crossed over a few times to feel out Rudy. As the ball went from his left hand to his right he added a hesitation as he faked a drive to the right.

Rudy moved a step in that direction, reading this Jason used a spin move to quickly change directions as he began driving left.

Rudy managed to shift his weight as he began chasing after Jason but just as he was about to reach him he crashed into Kyle's body.

'What!? When did he have time to call for a screen? I didn't even see him signal for it!' A small smile appeared on Jason's face as he found himself open for the long mid-range shot.

But just as he was getting into his shooting form a hand appeared in front of his face as it blocked his view of the basket.

'Shit' Jason cursed in his mind as he saw Rudy jumping to contest his shot 'Looks like someone is finally giving it everything he got on defense.'

Jason did his best to readjust his shot as while he was in the air. He delayed his release for as long as he could but he had to let go of the ball eventually.

All eyes in the building were locked on to the ball as they all watched it sail toward the basket. Unfortunately for Jefferson Middle School and all of their fans, the ball landed on the left side of the rim before bouncing off.

A small battle took place underneath the basket as Danilo fought for the rebound. But after a few bumps and tipping of the ball, High Bridge managed to gain possession as their Power Forward claimed the ball.

He then pushed the ball up as they tried to attack with a fast break. Rudy was the player furthest up and so the ball ended up in his hands.

But Jason stayed with him every step of the way as he tried his best to push the tempo and bring the ball up the court.

As the two of them made their way to the paint Rudy gave Jason a taste of his own medicine as he used a spin move to create his own seperation.

The spin move didn't create as much as space as Rudy would have wanted as Jason continued to stick with him, but it did allow him to get into a better position.

Rudy jumped into the air and Jason followed him as he tried his best to contest the layup. But Rudy shifted his body mid-air while also curling his left arm around Jason's side as he tried for an acrobatic layup in hopes of avoiding Jason.

There wasn't much that Jason could do as the ball left Rudy's hand. But before it could bank off the backboard a large figure appeared spiking the ball into the floor with a long and outstretched arm.

Kyle let out an energy-filled roar as the referee declared High Bridge's possession.

- - -

A frenzied look was apparent in the announcer's eyes as he looked down at the court with a trail of sweat flowing down the side of his face "What an amazing game we've had so far folks.

In a game where two of the state's highest-scoring teams are going at each other you would expect a crazy score to reflect that.

But this game has been the exact opposite. After the first quarter Jefferson Middle School leads 18-15 with High Bridge biting at their feet.

We knew that Jefferson, a team known for their top tier defense, would lock in on that end. But what a surprise from High Bridge.

Rudy has always been known as an offensively talented player. But this game he's really shown some mettle as a defender as he held Jaya to a quiet six-point quarter.

This defensive outburst from Rudy has shown to be an amazing boon for High Bridge as this is the closest score that Jefferson has allowed this entire tournament.

Going into the second quarter and for the rest of the game the biggest question for High Bridge will be Rudy's stamina.

If he can stay locked in the way he was in the first quarter then they might have a real chance of knocking off Jefferson once again.

Stay tuned folks, after this commercial break the battle for California continues."