February 10, 2031. As with last year, the VAs assemble both basketball teams in the band room for the basketball playoff bracket release. However, both basketball teams are much improved this season around, so they have good reason to be optimistic.
First the boys, who went 15-11 and 4-2 in district play. And, of course, the girls, led by Heather, who went 24-2, undefeated in district play. So while VA might have partially reversed its post-pandemic athletic misfortunes, how much pressure they will face on the court will depend on the playoff bracket release.
With a good number of guests from both teams, the playoff bracket release session begins in earnest:
“For those in their first season playing basketball for VA, for playoff purposes, we are in Division II non-select” Kent explains to both teams and their guests.
After the Division I boys’ playoff brackets are released, the boys’ basketball players are all turned to the band room’s screen:
“And the Venomous Agendas will begin the boys’ basketball Division II non-select state tournament…” Jabari, the boys’ basketball coach, announces with Tyler rolling the drum. “At home, with the fourteenth seed, we will be playing the Minden Crimson Tide!”
The boys’ basketball players, especially the veterans, jump in joy when they learn that they actually made the playoffs. So many years of pandemic damage have finally been repaired! The boys’ basketball coach muses, while the other boys’ brackets, as well as the girls’ Division I brackets, are being shown.
When the girls’ Division II non-select playoff bracket is released…
“And the Venomous Agendas have gotten a first-round bye for the girls’ basketball Division II non-select state tournament, by virtue of being the first seed!” Kent announces to the girls’ team.
“We both have a quiz bowl tournament on Saturday morning!” Audrey pleads with the coach, referring to Leesville.
“One starter missing might still be passable, but two starters missing means the Saturday morning practice must be cancelled!” Kent announces to the girls.
“Our window to win is closing this year, and every practice counts!” Heather yells at the pair. “Because of you two playing quiz bowl, we will be at a disadvantage going into the second round!”
“Heather, please! I understand how important the tournament is to you, but don’t yell at us because of us playing quiz bowl!” Audrey tells her teammates. “You think our opponents don’t have overscheduled players?”
“It depends” Heather responds.
Because of basketball’s bracket release, the quiz bowl practice starts a little late. However, everyone comes to a grim realization, especially the B-team players, who by then know that, it they want to make it to the HSNCT, they have one chance left. Pablo senses that Gerard is a little down by the end of the practice.
“What’s wrong, Gerard?”
“I thought I could escape the spotlight by focusing on mathletics; turns out that’s not the case! The B-team is feeling the heat and I feel it too!” Gerard starts crying.
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“Your teammates improved some; they were freshmen that just needed time to adapt to the high school game. Don’t be too hard on yourself, nor on Cora! Admittedly she’s the least experienced, but I’m sure she has improved some, too!”
The freshmen on the team finished thirteenth at the MSNCT; they will want to avenge the ESA Cade Cane Classic, where they finished fifth, one spot shy of the HSNCT, Gerard ruminates.
“Because the town knows we couldn’t have gotten deep into the Math Madness playoffs without depth players, the town knows who can contribute on the math team and who can’t!” Lilina attempts to reason with Gerard. “You attended the HSNCT, you know what’s required to get there, and it’s a team-wide effort!”
“I tried to pick up as much slack as possible in the past three months. However, because of my basketball obligations, I can only do so much!” Cora adds, while she starts crying. “But Pablo is right: I did improve as a quiz bowler! To be honest, guys, I am not sure how Audrey can even cope with being a starter in both basketball and quiz bowl! Track flew under the radar, no one really cared about the four by four hundred!”
Cora is still the worst player on the B-team, but not by much. If she ends up out-playing me at Leesville, so be it, Gerard feels a little down.
“If getting to the HSNCT means we should study from collegiate packets until Leesville, so be it!” a freshman on the B-team shouts at Gerard.
“I’d say, we study from the Penn Bowl set we played against DCC last season, the last ACF Nationals, and other sets VA alums wrote for!” Nadine suggests to the B-team.
“Stop! You’re stressing me out with the HSNCT! I get it, we’re in it to win...” Gerard sighs while his headaches mount, and Nadine distributes the links to the sets. “But we need to be in the right mental state to study! Right now I am not!”
If only I could fly under the radar, like Tanith, who, despite making it to the semifinals at Isidore Newman, albeit finished last in the semis, and, from that point, taking the captaincy of the debate team, still flew under the town’s radar… Gerard sighs before returning home.
Obviously, Audrey and Cora are both wondering how much time they can devote to quiz bowl studying, especially when college scouts are likely to show up again if VA makes it as deep as the semifinals or, better still, the final. And hence feel the need to play well on the court in the coming weeks.
With Taylor and Charlotte replaced by Cora and, well, shooting guards by committee, we don’t need to fear no Wossman! Even though Tamara and Vanessa are both track athletes who happen to be playing basketball, Audrey ruminates on what awaits her on the court, before meeting up with Pablo again.
“Lately, it seems like Cora is working herself to the bone, and trading track for quiz bowl amounted to exchanging poisons. On the other hand, you don’t seem too stressed out about quiz bowl…”
“It seems like key people in your life are stressed out lately or are stressing you out. Heather, Cora being the main ones”
“Heather… Heather! She feels like one Saturday morning practice can mean the difference between winning Division II Non-Select-State and losing our first playoff game! She might exaggerate a bit…”
“I guess, better vent to me now than to suffer outbursts of anger in a crucial game, quiz bowl or basketball!”
“I really hope Gerard realizes that, in college, he will have more anonymity than he has now. Especially since he’s by no means a star mathlete, nor quiz bowler. Some of our quiz bowl opponents might envy us because they are tired of not having any recognition. However, Gerard has shown us the dark side of small-town star systems”
“Yes, I know, small-town fanaticism puts everyone with any real talent that can be used for interscholastic activities under a microscope and…”
“But I think Gerard is playing a very dangerous game; he’s essentially banking on Cora to carry him to the HSNCT, and hence on her taking the pressure off! But by doing so, he might break her!”
I guess quiz bowl has priority for what to do outside of basketball practices and homework until Leesville ends… Audrey sighs, before hugging each other, and then both return to homework as well as reading quiz bowl sets under Nadine’s plan.