Jersey Shore High School - Orange and Black Yearbook (Jersey Shore, PA)

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28 THE ORANGE AND BLACK their defense was shaky and ragged. This continued for two weeks until the night the team was dressing for the Troy game which would decide the Hot Stove League. Scarcely a word was spoken, and Johnny could see that 'ASpecs had planned something. Specs did not an- nounce the starting lineup until the team was ready to take the floor for warm-up. This five will start. Johnny and 'Ace' at forwards: 'Andy' and 'Benny' at guards: Blake at center. A tense silence fell over the dressing room. Would Benny try to do his act again, or had he learned his lesson? Specs broke the silence again. O. K. Give them all you got, and we'1l walk off with this league. Just before the team took the floor, Benny made his way to Specs and said, Thanks, coach, l'll do my best. l think l'vc learned my lesson. Johnny led the gang on the floor for their warm-up shots. Then a quick huddle, handshakes with opponents, and the championship game was on. The first play was a tip-off to Ace to Johnny to Blake for the score 2-0. Troy tried to pierce the always easy Burke defense, but with Davis playing one of his best games, it was practically impossible for the Troy guards to get the ball in past the foul line. Davis broke up that pass, passed to Johnny, and on a sweet pivot play scored easily under the basket instead of from mid-court as he had been doing all season. It was 10-3 at the quarter: Benny Davis had eight points. he was playing a swell defense game and was passing the ball to his mates. No more long shots. All peeps. He needed fifteen more points to cinch the league record. We have them on the run, said Johnny as they ran back to their defense. You will be high scorer, Ben, if we have to play five periods. But Troy was not to be pushed around in such style. They got their offense working, and with the score 39-35 with four minutes to play, the crowd became tense, and both teams played cautiously. Burke was in striking distance of the league championship, but Troy was just at determined, and they tied the score with one-half minute to play. Benny in the meantime needed one point to get the league high scor- ing honors. Taking a rebound from the enemy basket, he dribbled to mid-court. His favorite shot! But, no, the team wouldn't like it. He glanced at Johnny, who yelled SHOOT. Davis crouched in position, and let the ball go. It sailed upward in a high arc. To the tortured Benny is seemed suspended in mid-air. Then it dropped swiftly to the hoop. In the heavy stillness a l'SWlSH! signified three things: a championship for Burke, high scoring honors for Benny, and a lesson learned. At last Benny was one of the boys. The players swarmed into the dressing room. Bedlam ensued. Nice shot, Specs called to Benny And strangely enough Benny replied, A'l'm sorry, coach.

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JERSEY SHORE HIGH SCHOOL 27 Davis flushed as all eyes followed him back to his position. An- other person viewing Davis's shots much in the same manner as the team was coach Specs Brucker, who would openly show his disgust by stamping his feet on the floor, letting forth a low guttural growl, and emphatically chewing on his three stick wad of Beechnut gum. The game ended a few minutes later, Burke winning by the small five point margin when it should have been a field day for their cham- pionship-crazed quintet. As the crowd nltered from the palestra, it com- mented on Davis's uncanny shooting, which outshone his equally great guarding. This lone hand performance of Davis's had been going on for some time, and it was bound to be questioned by other members of the team and by the coach in a very short time. Dissension came quicker than it was expected. After their shower four members of the team: Blake, Ace Dupre, Andy Smith, and Tenson, gathered in one corner of the dressing room. For a while they talked in low tones, and then they came over to Johnny. Ace was the spokesman: Johnny, I guess we've stood about enough. 'Specs' doesn't need us. Davis can do it all. Johnny could see that he must plead with them. You guys are nuts. Come on, stick around. We'll need you for this league race, and Davis can't hold out all the way through. You heard us before, retorted Johnny's running mate. We're through. The coach entered the dressing room at this point in the discussion and walked past the group. Before anyone had a chance to speak, Specs called out, Davis, come're. The stocky little guard strutted up to the bespectacled coach. Hands on his hips he surveyed Specs Well? Davis, just why do you insist on being the kind of a player you are and play the kind of game you do? Do you mind telling me just why you hog the ball and all that? A slight pause while Davis swallowed and then: No, I don't mind telling you. I shoot so much because I am aiming at that high scoring record in our league, because the winner is usually voted the most valu- able player in the league. He almost drawled these last words out and then he slumped down on the bench to continue to dress. Specs knew the little guard had spoken the truth. So a player's desires were wrecking his championship hopes. He turned to the quar- tette that was about to quit and said, There's no use of you guys hand- ing in your uniforms. He turned to Davis, his voice was cold and exact. Davis, hereafter you'll sit on the bench. It's O. K. Mr. Brucker: I'll be riding the bench, Showing no emotion in his face, he shrugged his shoulders and walked away. Before Davis had been benched the Burke qintet had been tied for iirst division with Troy and Amhurst, but with the absence of Davis the team was not the same. At forward Johnny inspired his mates, but

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