The Final Four

Bacic sees his team trailing and begs the coach to put him back in the game. Kennedy quizzes him about movies to determine whether Bacic is in any state to play. Bacic passes the quiz and re-enters the game. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Hope cheering the Trojans on.

Five weeks before the game, Bacic writes in his journal. He confesses that Hope made a romantic move on him at a party. He politely declined her and then struggled with the question of whether he should tell Rice what happened. He seeks out advice from Coach Kennedy, who tells him to forget what happened and not to speak to Rice about Hope.

The announcers at the game celebrate Bacic’s return to the court, claiming that “the kid from Croatia is all heart” (99). Bacic scores immediately and cuts the Spartans’ lead. Rice almost gives away a foul and risks expulsion. Instead, Boyce is blamed. He, too, is now at risk of being expelled from the game. The play continues, and the Trojans draw level with the Spartans with 56 seconds left. As the game goes on, MJ gives up an opportunity to shoot and passes to McBride instead.