First Game Jitters
A Lady Pioneers Basketball Story – Season One: Game One

The jerseys are on. The lineup is set. But nothing about game day feels normal.

For the Appalachian Trail Lady Pioneers, the season opener is more than just another game — it's the start of something bigger. One player is suiting up for the first time. Another is desperate to prove she belongs. A new captain has been named. And everyone feels the pressure, even if no one's saying it out loud.

Told in part through real-time game commentary and part through the eyes of the players, First Game Jitters captures the nervous energy, emotional highs and lows, and behind-the-scenes drama of high school girls' basketball. From missed free throws to game-winning buckets, late-night texts to silent rides home, this story doesn't shy away from what it's really like to be a teenage athlete.

Some players rise. Others break. And no one leaves the court the same as they walked in.

If you love gritty, character-driven sports fiction with heart, this book is for you.

First Game Jitters is the second book in the Lady Pioneers Basketball series, following Jersey Day. This episodic series reads like a season, with each book covering a new game, new conflict, and new turning point for a diverse team of girls trying to find their place — on the court, and in the world.