Point and Time

Chapter 2: Seth: Ballgame

 Usually, life and I tend to have little disagreements if you will. I usually don't get lucky a whole lot, unless it really makes sense to give me my chances if you will, and it doesn't happen too often either. The times it does happen though, it does a mighty fine job of making sure I know that was my chance to be lucky. Me and my brother, Chase, have been playing basketball for about 5 years each. This was his junior year at our high school and my freshman year. We had an 18-2 record and made it to the championship game, which is currently happening.

The whole game we didn't have the lead, with about fifteen seconds left we were only down by four points. We had to inbound the ball and do something fast. Me, Chase, and three other people, Jason, Lucous, and Adam were the five people on the floor for our team. Off the inbound pass, Jason set a screen for Chase, he ran hard to the rim and pointed up wanting the lob pass placed right above the rim, I lobbed it up and he slammed it down for two huge points in the game. That barely took a second off the clock. We didn't inbound it and then run the play, we set that up from the inbound. I passed it from out of bounds to him so we only lost about half a second. Only being down two points now, we had to get the ball back with 14.5 seconds left to play the whole game. The other team got the ball in and took a few seconds off the clock before we fouled them. Leaving nine seconds to play. Woof. They stepped up to shoot the free throws and made them both. My team all knew how challenging this was going to be. Only had nine seconds left and we had been down four points. The score was sitting at 99-103. This was going to be a difficult game to win.

"Timeout!" Our coach yelled before we inbounded the ball.

"What's the plan?" Adam asked sipping his water.

"Ace, Chase. Who wants to take the shot?" He looked back and forth between us.

They referred to me as 'Ace' because we had a play called Ace that we ran for a quick three-point shot and I was our best shooter at around thirty-eight percent, with Chase not far behind as a thirty-five percent shooter. Since the play was called Ace they just pointed at me and that was how we knew to run the play.

"I'll take it," I said nodding

"Okay, Chase get the ball off an inbound from Ace. Once you inbound it, take the screen from Adam. They haven't switched the screens all night. Off that screen from Adam run the baseline into Lucous and Jason. Catch it, shoot it off that screen, and make it." He looked back at me from his dry-erase board.

"Adam screen, use it. Run past Lucous and Jason, catch the ball shoot it." I repeated as the alarm sang and the timeout was over.

We all got ready to run the play that the coach just talked to us about. I stood on the sideline ready for the ref to hand me the ball. He blew his whistle, handed me the ball and here we go. I threw the ball to Chase off the inbound and ran towards Adam, one second off, eight seconds left. I moved past Adam into the other two. Seven seconds left. I used the two screens and the ball was thrown at me. Six seconds. I caught it and jumped into my shot. Five seconds. As I let go of the ball, someone got under my feet and fell. Four seconds. I heard the ref blow his whistle and looked at the clock, it stopped at three and a half seconds left. The crowd erupted. Everyone was jumping and screaming and I was on the ground while Adam, Jason, Lucous, and Chase ran to me.

"COME ON SETH!" Chase yelled while I looked up dazed and confused.

"What happened?" I asked

"AND-ONE!!!!" I heard come from the crowd. I made the shot and got fouled. All of a sudden a four-point game that was 99-103 was now 102-103 and I had the chance to tie it. I got up and the refs began to gather up in a circle. They looked at me and the guy who fouled me as he held his head in his hands. I would be too honestly. The refs blew their whistles and they began speaking.