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Stakes of the Game
Chapter Twelve: Digging Out of a Hole "Royal City is in complete control here right now," radio announcer Dick Stark told listeners around the state as the Knights rolled to a 20-13 lead. "Lynden Christian is just not able to do much offensively against this fine basketball team." Timmer, unstoppable in the first quarter with eight points, took a pass from Kok and turned to the basket, but dribbled the ball off his feet and out of bounds. On the ensuing possession, Herrud swished a 16-footer to push Royal City's lead to 22-13. DeHoog called time out and squatted down in front of the five sweaty, panting players. OK, he told them, here's what we'll do to turn this thing around. He made a couple of defensive adjustments -- to limit the open outside shots and close off passing lanes to the key -- and reverted to the previous day's offense. Screens. Swinging the ball. Timmer and Bratt on the baseline, Dykstra operating wherever he could get free. And the Lyncs rallied. Dykstra missed a 15-footer, but followed his own miss up and in to cut the margin to 22-15. Bratt scored on a feed from Kok ... 22-17. Dykstra made a steal and weaved a beautiful 2-on-1 fast break with Weg ... 22-21. Timmer took a pass from Bratt for and banked the ball home. At the buzzer, the Lyncs led 28-27. The Lyncs eked out a slim lead in the third quarter but couldn't pull away, and the teams spent virtually the entire fourth quarter within a single basket of each other. It was that close when Bratt had another one of those don't-shoot-great-shot plays, and the Lyncs still had that two-point lead when, with five seconds remaining, Timmer was fouled. Timmer would have one free throw, two if he made the first one. And making that first one would all but clinch the victory, because at that time there was no such thing as a 3-point line. He missed. A Royal City player grabbed the ball and passed it out to Hudson, the Knights' star, who was barely across half-court when he launched the ball toward the basket. The scene was eerily similar to the Lyncs' district championship game against Lynden; as had been the case with Scott Rutgers' last-second shot then, this time the buzzer went off with the ball in the air. The ball hit the backboard .. and went through the hoop. Game tied. Overtime. On the bench, DeHoog -- the soft-spoken coach who never raised his voice in anger -- shouted, "Dad-GUM it!" and slammed the clipboard to the floor with such force that the pen clipped to it bounced onto the court. As if they were all operating on the same hinge, the heads of Terpstra and all of the players on the bench did a 90-degree swivel toward DeHoog. Coach?
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