Chapter 44
Ms. Hamm was correct and the playoff tournament was a difficult test for her team. Every opposing team assumed the private religious school was soft, including some of the other private religious schools, and they believed they could intimidate them mentally and physically but every time they tried, Sam was the unfaltering enforcer. When someone pushed, she pushed back harder and, when someone talked, she talked back louder. She even went after an opponent to defend one of the girls who voted to remove her from the team last year. After the game, the girl questioned her coach as to why Sam would defend her like that after she voted against her. Ms. Hamm said, “That is called loyalty, integrity and honor that comes from character and why I named her the team captain, not just be
