The players nodded.

“From the beginning of the season, we?ve, I hope, tried to prove that the Badgers are a team. We stand, or fall, as a team. Now you guys, as a team, have taken us all the way to the semi-finals, somewhere no one ever thought we could be. There?s a lot to be proud of in that. There?s no shame in losing, not like this, not when you?ve done your best.” She takes in a deep breath. “So, as a team, we need to make a decision. Dylan is a legal player. She?s been on our roster since she was hired, as a player-coach.” She held up a hand to still the cheering players. “But what I need to know from you guys, honestly and without fear of anything hard feelings, is?do you want her to play in this game.”

“You crazy, right?” Chane asked. “Why the fuck would we turn something like this down! It?s a fucking gift, man!”

“Everyone might not think so, Shaniqua. What you?ve done this entire year has been done without a superstar, and that?s a damn good message to send to the fans out there, especially the younger ones who think that unless they?ve got a Dylan Lambert or a Michael Jordon, they might not even bother playing. You showed them what you could do without that kind of help. By god, ladies, you did it! And if we didn?t get hit with these damn injuries, I?m sure you?d be doing it still!” She shrugged. “But?people talk. You know they do. And if we put Dylan in the game, they?re going to be claiming all sorts of things that will effect you as a team.” She tossed a look to Chaney. “Sometimes, gifts come at a price higher than we might be willing to play, and you have to think about that.”

“Fuck the fans. Fuck the newspapers. Fuck ESPN. Fuck the league. I came here to win, Coach, and that?s what I wanna do. Cap?n D here is our coach. Without her we wouldn?t have gotten near as far as we?ve gotten, and everybody knows that. We need her help, like we always have, and I?m not gonna let some stupid fear or pride stand in the way of that. No way, man. No fucking way.”

“Your opinion has been noted, Shaniqua. Anyone else have anything to add? Remember, nothing bad?s going to happen against you if you feel better just going this alone. I swear it.”

The rest of the teammates looked at one another for a long moment of silence. Then Cat stepped forward, took Dylan?s hand, and placed her own atop it. With giddy grins, one by one, the rest of the team put their hands in. “Badgers?.Badgers?.Badgers?BADGERS?.BADGERS!!!!”

“Any last words of wisdom, Coach?” Chaney asked Dylan as they broke their mini huddle.

The game face was still on. “Let?s get it done.”

“Yeah!!!”

“Well, it seems like I?m at a rare loss for words, here, Lori.”

“You said it, or rather didn?t say it, Ted. As you can hear all around us, the arena is still buzzing over the unexpected addition of Dylan Lambert to the Badgers? playing ranks. To say I, myself, am surprised at this turn of events would be putting it mildly, Ted. It really doesn?t seem like Lambert?s style.”

“Well, the Badgers? owner, Horace Johnson has, shall we say, been known to push his product memorably. Perhaps this is one of those times.”

On cue, one of the main TV cameras panned to the sky-box where Johnson was sitting. The owner rivaled the coach of the Lightning in facial redness and looked very much like another ?coronary event? was very near in his future.

“Well, I suppose we can cross that theory off the list, Lori. Johnson doesn?t seem any happier over this particular turn of events than his counterpart on the Lightning.”

“Be that as it may, Ted, the players from both teams have taken the court, so I suppose the reaction to this controversial move will have to wait until after the game.”

“Sounds good to me, Lori. The head referee has just handed the ball to Lambert as the possession arrows were pointing the Badgers? way when the half ended. On the court with her for the Badgers are Hodges, Chaney, Anya, and Cooper. The Lightning are countering with Race and Blevins at guard, Toomey at center, and Holloway and Gathers at forward.

“Toomey steps up to guard Lambert and the whistle blows, starting the second half of this semi-final game.

“Lambert waits as her team sets up, then dishes off to Chaney, who is immediately trapped by Holloway and Gathers. She sees an opening and bounce passes to Hodges, who dribbles past half court and sets up the play. The Lightning look to be starting off in a man on man despite the backcourt trap. Blevins steps up to guard Hodges, who does a nice crossover dribble around the pick set for her by Anya, then passes off to Chaney. Chaney dribbles once, looking for an open shot, but she?s well guarded by Gathers in a real height mismatch.

“Lambert streaks into the paint and receives the pass from Chaney, then turns and puts up an eight footer that?oooh, Toomey got a piece of that one. There?s a story the rookie will be able to tell her grandkids, Lori!”

“True, Ted. Gathers got the rebound and passed it off to Race who?s dribbling past half court. Quick pass to Toomey who?yipes! Lambert got all of that one! Toomey?s gonna have to check her face for lines, I think. That ball came back at her at the speed of light!”

“Chaney grabs the ball and starts off downcourt, then passes off to Hodges on a three on two fast break with Lambert streaking down the center of the court. Her knee doesn?t look to be bothering her in the least right now.

“Hodges dishes to Chaney, who tips it back to Hodges who rifles a no-look bounce pass to her left, directly to Lambert who goes up for the layup, and scores! Very nicely executed fast break.”

“Blevins takes the ball behind the endline and waits for her players. She?s guarded by Lambert, which looks like something out of David and Goliath. The rest of the Lightning players are being well guarded as the ref counts off the seconds. Blevins thows up a desperation pass, oh?Lambert tips it right into the hands of Hodges, who turns and rifles a pass to Chaney just outside the three point line. Chaney looks, shoots, and scores!! Beautiful shot.”

“Great display of teamwork too, Ted. And in just?one minute and ten seconds, the Badgers have managed to take a fifteen point deficit down to ten.”

“With Dylan Lambert a part of all five of the Badgers? points, Lori. If she?s rusty, she?s surely not showing it to this crowd here tonight.”

“I?ll have to agree there, Ted. The Badgers look really pumped, but then again, who wouldn?t, with the Goddess on their side?”

“Not me, that?s for sure.”

The censor shot a glare at the announcer, who returned him a lewd grin and a waggle of his eyebrows.

“The Lightning are past mid-court. Toomey sets up a screen on Lambert, and Blevins passes a quick one to Holloway who fakes a shot and passes back to Blevins. The Badgers are set up in a two-three trap zone, now they switch to a box and one, with Hodges out guarding Blevins, who is a distinct three point threat, with four threes already this game. Blevins passes the ball to Gathers, who dishes it to Race, who tries a shot from behind three point range and misses completely.

“The rebound is gathered in by Anya, who passes to Hodges who calls out a play as she dribbles quickly down the court. The Lightning are back quickly this time and set up in a one-three-one. Hodges passes to Lambert, who avoids the trap and drives in toward post, then steps back and fires over the Lightning?s heads to Chaney who?s as open as an all night tavern. One look and she shoots, and another three is up on the board for the Badgers! Shaniqua Chaney is on fire tonight! Two threes in the space of less than a minute! The Lightning are starting to look a little frazzled as their lead has been cut in half, now in the single digits.

“Race gets the ball to Gathers, who passes it back to her, and?oh no! Hodges came outta nowhere to steal that one, ladies and gentlemen! She drives into the paint and scores an easy layup, cutting the Lightning lead to five. And with that, Gibson calls a time out.”

“I think I need one too, Ted. We?ve been watching an absolutely amazing display of teamwork by the Birmingham Badgers these past few minutes. They?re putting on a clinic out there.”

“Good job, guys,” Caulley said, a rare smile making an appearance as she patted each player who passed her on the way to the bench. The level of excitement was so high from her players that she imagined she could feel it physically, like standing under a high-tension line. “Alright, now let?s not get too cocky here. In case none of you have noticed, we?re still down by five, and the Lightning?s an experienced team, so we?ve gotta take it easy and stay calm, alright?”

The players nodded as they toweled off and sipped from the cups of water handed to them by the trainers.

“Good play-calling, Cat,” Caulley continued, moving to squat in front of her. “Keep it up. Chaney, you?ve obviously found your range, so stick with it. When you see an opening, go for it for as long as you feel you can. We?ll need those threes as often as we can get them. That team over there isn?t going to just roll over and die, no matter who we put up against them.”

“No problem, Coach,” Chane replied, mopping the sweat from her braids.

“Dylan, you?ve got Toomey rattled, which is exactly what we need. Anything you can do to rattle her more, short of fouling, do. With her out of the way, we?re much more evenly matched, height-wise.”

Her face still set as stone, Dylan nodded, piercing eyes leveled at the goings on on the bench across court. Gibson had been sending increasingly murderous looks her way, and she wouldn?t put it past the firebrand coach to send out one of her thugs to make sure her knee didn?t stay as fine as it was feeling at the moment. It could be easily done, foul or no foul, and she?d have to keep a watch out for it as the game progressed. When the next look came her way, she saluted the Lightning coach with the cup she was holding, then quaffed the water and saluted again before crumpling the cup and sending it to the waste-bag for two.