The game between the Washington High School and the Carnegie Mechanics Institute, which was to decide the girls’ basketball championship of the city, was scheduled for the 15th of February.  Up until this year Washington High had never come within sight of the championship.  Then this season something had happened to the Varsity team which had made it a power to be reckoned with among the schools of the city.  That something was Sahwah.  Thanks to her playing, Washington High had not lost a single game so far.  Her being put on the team was purely due to chance.  Sahwah was a Junior and the Varsity team were all Seniors.  She was a member of the “scrub” or practice team and an ardent devotee of the sport.  During one of the early games of the season Sahwah was sitting on the side lines attentively watching every bit of play.

The game was going against the Washington, due to the fact that their forwards were too slow to break through the guarding of the rival team.  Sahwah saw the weakness and tingled with a desire to get into the game and do some speed work.  As by a miracle the chance was given her.  One of the forwards strained her finger slightly and was taken from the game.  Her substitute, who had been sitting next to Sahwah, had left her seat and gone to the other end of the gymnasium.  The instructor, who was acting as referee, in her excitement mistook Sahwah for the substitute and called her out on the floor.  Sahwah wondered but obeyed instantly and went into the game as forward.  Then the spectators began to sit up and take notice.  Sahwah had not been two minutes on the floor when she made a basket right between the arms of the tall guard.  The ripple of surprise had hardly died away before she had made another.  Then the baskets followed thick and fast.  In five minutes of play she had tied the score.  The guards could hardly believe their eyes when they saw this lithe girl slipping like an eel through their defense and caging the ball with a sure hand every time.  The game ended with an overwhelming victory for the Washingtons and there was a new star forward on the horizon.  Sahwah was changed from the practice team to the Varsity.

From that time forward Washington High forged steadily ahead in the race for the championship and as yet had no defeat on its record.  However, Washington had a formidable rival in the Carnegie Mechanics Institute, which was also undefeated so far.  The Mechanicals were slightly older girls and were known as a whirlwind team.  Sahwah, who foresaw long ago that the supreme struggle would be between the Washingtons and the Mechanicals, attended the games played by the Mechanicals whenever she could and studied their style of playing.  “Star players, every one,” was her deduction, “but weak on team work.”  Sahwah was not so dazzled by her own excellence as a player that she could not recognize greatness in a rival, and she readily admitted that one of the girls who guarded for the Mechanicals was the best guard she had ever