Night Hoops

On Monday, Trent acts toxic. He snarls at people in the locker room, doesn’t dive after loose balls, and crashes into Matt Markey before he starts to hit Matt. O’Leary dismisses Trent.

After dinner, Nick confronts Trent, who admits that Zack called. Trent downplays the shooting, claiming it was like getting shot with a BB. Nick still doesn’t understand why Trent will give up his life for Zack. Trent asks Nick about his earliest memory, and Nick says it’s of his dad swinging him in the park. Trent’s earliest memory was when he was three. Hungry, he walked into his mother’s room. His mother was naked and next to a strange man, so Zack closed the door and gave him pretzels. Nick gets Trent to stay for two more games—the end of the season.

Mom notices that basketball is exhausting Nick. Seeing Trent at school doesn’t make Nick feel much better. However, after Trent apologizes at practice, the team performs great, chanting, “Two more!”

Bothell High buzzes about the night game versus Franklin. Before the game, the players are nervous. They don’t play relaxed, and they fall behind by 11 when halftime arrives. O’Leary’s halftime speech doesn’t work, and Franklin’s lead is 14 when the fourth quarter starts. Nick makes a three-pointer, and then the other Cougars start making shots. They go on an 8-0 run and win by 12 points.

Nick declines to get pizza with his Dad. He thinks about the game and how O’Leary had written “TEAM” on the blackboard. The Cougars won as a “team” and one unit. The “team” thoughts prompt Nick to see Trent. He doesn’t think Trent should sacrifice his life because of one compassionate memory. Trent claims he doesn’t fit in, and Nick says Trent doesn’t belong with Zack.

Trent says he was with Zack when he killed the ducks and geese. Trent claims he killed half of them—maybe more—with a golf club. Zack didn’t tell the cops about Trent’s involvement: Zack took all the blame. Trent then claims he pressured Zack to shoot Michael. Trent says he found the bullets. Now that Nick knows the truth, Trent wonders if Nick’s mother or Luke’s father would want him around.

Nick says Trent has changed, but Trent doesn’t believe people can change. If Trent is still the same, then Nick thinks he should leave now and not wait until the last game versus Garfield.

Nick has trouble sleeping, and when Martha compliments his performance versus Franklin, Nick is unmoved. Trent isn’t at practice, so O’Leary asks Nick to check his house. If Trent is there, Trent should call him. If Trent is absent, Nick should call him.

At dinner, Scott gloats about Trent’s absence, so Nick thinks Scott wants Trent to “screw up.” Scott thinks Nick wouldn’t care as much if the season was over. Angry, Nick goes to his room, and Mom consoles him. She says Scott’s had a “hard year”: His younger brother has become the star player on the team he quit. Nick reminds Mom that he’s had a tough time, too. Mom thinks about skipping her weekly meeting with divorced women at Starbucks, but Nick pushes her to go. Nick goes outside and plays basketball. He hears noises, but he doesn’t see Trent.

The final game of the season is against Garfield. Luke stops by in the morning and says Bothell must win without Trent. Mom offers to make pancakes, but Nick is too nervous to eat them. Dad calls, telling Nick that he saw Nick’s picture in multiple newspapers. He bet his coworkers that Bothell—the underdogs—will beat Garfield. Before hanging up, Dad tells Nick he’s proud.

The game against Garfield is at Bothell, and the home fans want to know where Trent is. Without Trent, Garfield dominates. The Bothell fans respond to their team’s poor performance with boos. Behind Nick’s increased energy, the Cougars come back, cutting the 18-point lead to 13.

Nick gets hit in the nose and must go to the locker room so the doctor can stop the bleeding. Carrying a duffle bag, Trent appears. He’s been watching the game from the coach’s office.

When Nick returns to the bench, the Cougars are down by 17 points. The fans cheer for Nick, and O’Leary puts him back in. They also start chanting Trent’s name when he puts on his uniform and moves to the court. O’Leary puts in Trent, too. Trent and Nick propel the team. Tom rebounds like a “demon,” and Luke and Darren knock down shots.

With the game on the line, the Cougars play full-court defense and force a turnover. The ball is in Nick’s hand. He looks to Luke, but a Garfield player covers him. He sees Trent, but Garfield double-teams him. Tom is open and launches an “ugly” three-point shot, but it goes in, and the fans rush the court. After the commotion, Nick asks Trent if he’s in a hurry to get anywhere, and Trent says he isn’t.