kitana (Jadedfox) and I bring you this story of FBA action! Enjoy!

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March 5, 2013

Patriot Stadium, Williamsburg, VA

Coach Morgan Roosevelt (Raccoon, WIL, HC) gathered the team around him as they finished their shootaround. The team was dressed in their retro 1983 home uniforms, the 30th anniversary patch on the top right.

“We have time to turn this around, everyone. I believe in each and every one of you,” he said, pointing around the circle. He had been saying the same thing for the last week, because he meant it. He knew each and every one of them had the potential to win. The team, though, had slipped into their familiar trend of losing to their stronger division rivals, Baltimore and Lorain. The win against Pittsburgh was hotly contested, but earned, and the Minutemen lost a hard battle on the road against the Howlers. Montana avenged their early-season loss against the Minutemen

Team captain Vera La Tiérra (Red Vixen, PG, WIL) gazed over to the Bikers bench and spied the familiar long white ears and black-and-white headband of Buck Hopper (Rabbit, PG, DAK). The next challenge she had to overcome.

Her offensive production had been awful since the All-Star Break; really, it had been awful the entire season. The rest of the league had seemed to take less effort in that department of shutting her down. But her defense was still there. She had to take pride in it, to use that to show the rest of the FBA she wasn’t one of those athletes who get lazy after they get their money.

”We’ve talked about the plans against Dakota.” Roosevelt told them in the circle. “Stick with them.”

They weren’t empty platitudes to anyone listening. It would take perfect execution for this team to defeat the second-best team in the Western Conference. They remained at their top spot since last season while the Minutemen fell to the low-end of the playoff hunt, struggling to not fall far below a .500 record.

A far cry from their near-perfect play last season.

But that was the past. This is the team now. Back to being the underdogs.

And they were going to be as ready as they could be.

* * *

Hopper had a similar dilemma like La Tiérra. His play had also been bad since the break. While his situation wasn’t as dire as the vixen’s, he still knew that it was below his standards, and he wouldn’t stand for that himself.

“Go out there and execute. Always be wary. This team is not to be underestimated,” Ning Fenwatcher (Panda, HC, DAK) told his players in the huddle. Terrell Vora (Honey Badger, PF, DAK) and Dylan Redfield (Deer, PF, DAK) quietly scoffed when they heard that, but they still listened.

Dakota was still strong. The Winnipeg Voyageurs were posing quite a new challenge, but the Bikers were meeting most of their tests. It was the other team that was struggling, not them.

Going out of the huddle, Buck felt a heavy clap on his shoulder and looked over to see Ryan Malone’s (Kangaroo, SG, DAK) smirking face. It seemed to have a hint of a smile in it. Buck smirked back, the silent message received.

* * *

Hopper got the wide open lane he was looking for, no Nick Nwabudike (Elephant, C, WIL) to clog the middle. He powered in and threw down a one-handed slam. One the other end, Malone swatted the ball out of a still Teo Masalia’s (Black Panther, SG, WIL) paws and bolted down the court with the rock. All alone, he leapt and twisted around gracefully for a behind-the-head slam.

With 30 seconds to go and a 24-13 lead, Hopper dumped the ball into the paint, accepted by Vora. He turned around on Leonard Mack (Fox, PF, WIL) and slammed it home with a two-handed jam.

With the shot clock dead, La Tiérra took the ball down the court and Hopper prevented her from taking a drive, so she dumped the ball off to Ain Iannizzi (Cougar, SF, WIL) on the perimeter. Hounded very close by Vora, Ain growled as he felt he was shoved and he had to flick the ball to Masalia. Getting loose from Malone to the top of the key, the black panther took a quick jump shot as the horn sounded and the ball banked off the square and into the hoop. The crowd cheered, but some jeers rang out as Ianniizzi and Vora were growling and arguing about the shove. Mack and Jack Wayans (Black Labrador, PF, DAK) pulled the two apart before the argument escalated further.

Those two jawed like Hopper and Malone used to.

* * *

The Bikers weren’t shocked that the calm Eleanor Rigby (Deer, PG, WIL) was out to start the second quarter and Vera La Tiérra stayed on the bench.

It was the rest of the frame that shocked them.

Teo Masalia was a defensive machine, stealing three balls and leaping to block two of Hopper’s jumpers. Leonard Mack controlled the paint, denying Chrys Brachy (Maned Wolf, C, DAK) once and strong-arming a dunk attempt from Malone in an impressive display of strength. Nwabudike was a rebound machine, reeling in several with his trunk.

On the offensive end, Ain Iannizzi drained four jumpers and executed a hard one-hand slam, pacing the Minutemen with 10 points in the frame. Eric Logan (Bull Elephant, C, WIL) accentuated the quarter with a thunderous slam with his trademark “aftershock”. The Bikers only got three buckets: a rare three from Fenruss Brylee (Black Wolf, F/C, DAK), a jump shot from Wayans, a dunk from Vora, and two free throws from Hopper after a contested jumper by Masalia that missed.

Hopper’s two free throws ended the half. Roosevelt clapped Iannizzi on the back as the teams left to the locker room, ecstatic on how the quarter went.

Dakota was in for it.

* * *

The messages were received, from an optimistic Roosevelt and an absolutely livid Fenwatcher, in the locker rooms and the third quarter was much more intense and competitive.

Late in the frame, Hopper’s shot from the top of the key clanked off the back of the rim and into the air. Mack instinctively got into a crouch and jabbed out his hip and huge tail, leaping up to corral the rebound. Redawn Fenwatcher (Red Panda, G, DAK) stumbled visibly with the bump, but no whistle was heard as Mack lobbed the ball over to Masalia, who was subbing in for Vera.

Leonard jogged back down the court, following Teo, the three referees well ahead of them. He felt a hard shove and staggered aside, his stride broken. Mack glanced over as he regained his balance to notice a scowling Redfield looking back at him.

"If you shove one of our smaller guys again, next time you won't stay on your feet,” he hissed. Leonard only looked back at him as play continued in the next instant.

The refs didn’t notice the shove. The crowd did, emitting a loud groan and boos started to fly. It didn’t matter, though, as Teo cruised inside for the easy lay-in thanks to a screen from Nwabudike. Ning Fenwatcher immediately called a timeout.

Coming out of the stoppage, Wiley Twaddle (Woodchuck, SG, WIL) noticed that Dylan was sitting on the bench, a white towel draped around his shoulders and a grimace on his face. The shorter woodchuck tapped Mack’s forearm with the back of his paw.

“What’s with Redfield?” he asked. “That was a quick exit.”

“He shoved me,” Leonard replied bluntly.

“Oh. Stinks to be him then,” Twaddle said.

The woodchuck didn’t know the half of it.

* * *

Twaddle was wide open and nailed the shot from just inside the arc, putting the Minutemen up three near the end of the fourth. There were no time-outs left, so Dakota had to hurry with 7.2 seconds left. Malone inbounded the ball to Hopper and the rabbit raced down the court with time ticking down. Masalia tailed him and slightly slowed him as they crossed half court. With the clock at three seconds, Hopper jumped up and let fly with a long, arcing shot as time ran out. The ball descended toward the hoop...

And snapped the twine.

Buck raised his arms in triumph and let out a celebratory yell as he walked back to the sideline. The bench was going nuts. Brylee and Arturo de la Rosa (Duck, F, DAK) traded an exuberant high-five. Malone whacked Buck on the arm in celebration, a big grin on his face. Hopper traded a chest bump with Blythe Nachet (Red Fox [silver phase], G, DAK) as well.

Fenwatcher let them celebrate for a few moments, but he quickly rallied the players for the overtime huddle, reminding them they had the second chance to win the game and to keep attacking. Roosevelt reminded his players that the game was still alive and to play to their strengths. "It's all about converting your chances now," he said.

The overtime was a tit-for-tat, slow and deliberate. Both teams went to a half-court offense, hoping to milk off as much time as possible on the shot clock before making their move. Only one shot was missed in 11 between the teams, a runner by La Tiérra with three minutes to go.

With 40 seconds to go, she dumped the ball in to Mack, who went up with a shot and was rewarded with a flat-paw swipe to his face by Vora. The crowd booed as the big fox briefly rubbed his eyes. But he held a paw up to assure he was all right. Mack went to the line and calmly sank two free throws to put the Minutemen up by two.

Malone immediately took the inbounds pass and blew down the court. He was briefly slowed by Iannizzi, which was enough to kill the shot clock, but the kangaroo blew to the hoop with flair and threw down a one-handed slam with a yell. The game was tied again with 14.6 to go.

With the crowd cheering as loudly as they could, Vera brought the ball up the court slowly, Buck Hopper shadowing her. The clock went below ten seconds, the digits ticking away. It looked like the vixen might take it herself! Buck tried to jab the ball away from her as she transferred to between paws. She took a dribble to her left, leaned and stopped. She went up with the shot.

The clock went down to zero.

The shot came down and spun a bit on the rim.

But it spun right down into the hoop!

The crowd was in bedlam. Vera jumped for joy, and yelped in surprise when Leonard grabbed her in a celebratory hug.

“You did it, Vera! Way to go!” he yelled.

“Gracias, Lennie!” Leonard hadn’t seen Vera look so happy in a long time, and that warmed his heart.

Otto Okkonen (Dragon, F/C, WIL) executed an exuberant towel twirl while Twaddle and Jarrod Frola (Cat, SF, WIL) nailed a three-fur body bump with Masalia. The Bikers trudged to the locker rooms, some shaking their heads.

“Aw, f**k me...” Ryan groaned, turning to go to the locker rooms. He felt a pat on his side and looked to find that it was Hopper. He shrugged and continued to walk to the locker rooms. Vora resolved to play Ain even rougher next time they met, if such a thing was possible.

None of them wanted to lose like that, or at all. They had fought too hard.

But the Minutemen fought just a little harder that night.

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Buck Hopper, Leonard Mack, Eleanor Rigby, Chrys Brachy, FBA ©  buckhopper

Ryan Malone, Vera La Tiérra, Ain Iannizzi, Jack Wayans ©  jtigerclaw

Teo Masalia, Nick Nwabudike, Eleanor Rigby ©  oinuttah

Eric Logan ©  darrenzeraus

Terrell Vora ©  farallon

Wiley Twaddle, Jarrod Frola ©  christaphorac

Dylan Redfield ©  wendingo

Ning Fenwatcher, Redawn Fenwatcher ©  foxenawolf

Morgan Roosevelt ©  sam-gwosdz

Arturo de la Rosa ©  hurricaneblackspark

Blythe Nacht ©  kyell

Otto Okkonen ©  nasuella