Mallory Kuchis
The hook shot, arm raised perfectly over her head for the ball to hit the back board and fall right into the hoop. She practiced this move endlessly along with the famous up and under. She gets the ball in the post fakes left, turns right, steps under and lays it into the basket. Dayna made that move many times in games and it soon became known as “Dayna’s up and under move”. Dayna was a senior on the team and had been on varsity for three years. From being on the team for so long, Dayna created her own little traditions. At the practice before each game, right before we did our “We are…MOHON!” cheer, she would say “Travel gear?” and everyone would agree because that was what we wore for every game day, keeping up the tradition from the previous year. Also, before every game she went to Subway to get a sandwich, a cookie, chips, and a drink. She did this faithfully throughout the year no matter what. They all carried their hatred for Averill Park and their basketball bags filled with an endless list of items. They carried multiple water bottles (multiplying because they forget to take out the old ones), a sweatshirt, sweatpants, basketball sneakers, ankle braces, prewrap, long socks, their cell phones, and Ipods. On game days they carried their uniforms (both white and black just in case), travel gear, and their shooting shirt. Coach Brosius in his second year of coaching at Mohonasen hoped to bring the team to a state championship. The previous year they were able to take it all the way up to the Semifinals and lost. Carrying revenge and with five returning players, the coach was ready to win. Wilson, a returning senior, was on varsity for two years during which she got maybe 10 minutes of playing time all together. Small, but quick, she always knew what she was doing. Running after lose balls, fighting for jump balls, and boxing
out for rebounds was like second nature to her but it wasn’t enough for coach. Being short as she was, coach thought the taller players would do better for the team. Wilson carried with her the all the short jokes and the determination to never give up. Even though she sat the bench she still wanted the team to win and loved playing the game. She sat the bench for a full year with her best friend Kate. Unlike Wison, Kate would have rather lost every game just to spite the coach. Sitting the bench made her resent the game. Although sitting her whole junior year, she was a starter her senior year and proved to the coach that she was actually talented in the sport. Kate carried with her resentment towards the coach for making her hate the game. Mallory and Melissa had the same feelings. Soon after the season started they began dreading every day of it. They did what they could to have fun but deep down they couldn’t wait for the season to end. Mallory always carried her black environmentallyfriendly water bottle with a skull and cross bones on it. Everyone on the team joked that it was full of cyanide and it’s what made her grow so tall. Melissa carried her knee surgery which proved to be quite an impediment which lessened her chances of getting playing time. She carried hope for the upcoming years. There were many players on the team who loved the sport and were excited for another great season. Ashley popped three pointers like it was her job earning the title of top scorer throughout the season. She was always hungry and carried with her some sort of food to snack on. Ashley wasn’t the only one to hit three’s. Courtney and Kelsey were very skilled at this. Courtney carried her long mane of blond hair and her huge calves which everyone made fun of her for. While Kelsey carried the fact that she was the youngest on the team, being the only freshman. Kayla, another senior, was returning after a few years off. She carried her bird’s nest, which was a Christmas ornament she got when she was at the team Christmas party.
Sectionals came and Dayna got her Subway sandwich, chips, a cookie, and a drink. They all carried their travel gear, uniforms, shooting shirts, water bottles, prewrap, sneakers, and overconfidence. They were ready to demolish Ichabod Crane and then continue through sectionals easily, but that didn’t happen. They lost, although it was a great battle, they just couldn’t do it. They would never get the chance to face AP and beat them again. The seniors cried and everyone blamed themselves but deep down, they were glad it was over.