The Backboard Biff

By Elliott

The coach called a timeout as my team headed towards the bench.

"We can win this game!" our basketball coach said as we sucked down cold clear water. "Elliott if you get the ball take it down, one point and we can win!" We all left, ready to play.

"Coach," I heard the ref say, I stopped to listen. "The rim is loose we'll have to reschedule the game."

"No!" Coach said. "Fix it now or don't fix it at all, but we're not quitting the championship game because of some dumb rim!"

* * *

I felt the bubbly ball jump into my hands. I remembered what my coach said in an echo-like fashion, " Take it down one point and we win!"

Then what the ref said, "The rim is loose!"

I looked at the scoreboard 10 seconds left; I had to do it.

"Screen!" I shouted. My team heard me and I had a clear shot to the hoop 5š. 4š3š in those few seconds time slowed down as I ran, jumped, It was like watching it in slow motion, I felt my body be lifted of the ground like I was weightless and I turned and did a reverse dunk as the buzzer sounded. We won! It was the best feeling in the world it felt like I could beat Kobe, or even Shaq! Than I felt the rim shake and I fell screaming, and I heard a loud snap. My leg had to be broken, it felt as if someone was just pulling on my leg with all their strength it was like 4,000 knives scraping down my legs. As I was screaming I felt a screw fall in my mouth it was as cold as ice and so sharp that I felt a scrape on my gums and my mouth filled with blood I spit it out and instantly there was more, my tongue was almost gone!

We won the game and my team was so happy, I wished I could enjoy the victory with all of my teammates but I had to go to the hospital to get my tongue fixed. It was one of the most painful moments in my life. Not that I really want to remember the pain, I feel that because of it's affect on me I will remember it forever.

In that one game I learned how you can feel on top of the world in one moment, and then fall like a stone back down in another. Of course I am referring to me being on top of the hoop in one moment, than literally I came crashing down!