Brielle could be wrong about Imani and still be very good at basketball. Ward drew the final quarter plan. Zora would save her legs for the boards. Mina would keep the outlet lane clear. Marisol would keep shooting good looks even after misses.

And Imani would be prepared to use either hand, either pass, whichever decision the defense allowed. Across the court, Brielle was listening to her own coach, one finger tracing a play across a board. Her eyes rose for a moment and met Imani’s. There was no smile this time. The last quarter was about to begin and neither girl could count on the first day’s shame to score a point.

Brielle opened the fourth quarter with a basket that made the Mariner section explode. Imani had forced her toward the baseline exactly as Ward wanted. But Brielle stopped on a dime and leaned backward into a clean shot. On the next possession, Harper scored after a sharp backdoor cut. In less than a minute, the three-point gap had become seven.

The scoreboard read 51 to 44 and the building began to sound like a place celebrating a conclusion. Ward didn’t call timeout immediately. She stood with one hand raised toward Imani asking her to slow the next possession. Imani brought the ball across half court while Mariner supporters shouted for a steal. She saw Brielle waiting a step inside the three-point line ready to close the left lane and dare her into the right.

Imani crossed the ball from one hand to the other and waited for Zora to set a screen. The screen brought a defender high. Imani passed to Marisol who caught on the wing and shot without hesitation. The three-pointer went through. 51 to 47.

The net barely moved, but the sound from South Dock’s section was enormous. Marisol ran back on defense, their face fierce and almost astonished, as though she had needed reminding that missing earlier shots did not take away the right to attempt a good one now. Brielle answered by driving past a late rotation and scoring. She had 28 points and every one of them had required a defender to make a choice she could exploit. As she passed Imani, she said quietly “You can’t take me out of this game.”

“I know.” Imani replied. The honesty seemed to surprise Brielle. Imani wasn’t trying to erase her. She was trying to win while she was still there.