My Basketball Game 

The game was tied 44-44. I felt like the game was on my shoulders. My palms started to sweat; my mouth was suddenly dry. I Knew I had to do something, so I did what I do best. I drove the hoop while welcoming every contact coming my way knowing I was going to draw a foul. I jumped so high I felt like I could almost touch the sky. The defender jumped at me. The next thing I knew I was on the ground, my body aching. I felt like I couldn’t play any longer but at last I heard the whistle. I got up with the help of my teammates, the crowd was cheering me on as I got back on my feet. I walked to the free throw line thinking that I was not able to even shoot the basketball. I stepped to the line, and instantly felt anxious because I was so worried that I was going to miss. As I looked around the gym, I could see how all the windows were covered with fog, I could smell the miasma from everybody in the gym. The referee gave me the ball and the gym went quiet. All I could hear was my heart pounding in my chest and my temples combined with the ball bouncing, echoing all throughout the gym. I took a deep breath as I was replaying the routine in my head. It felt like the world was slowing down. I took one last look as I did the imaginary thing. I bent my legs in one smooth motion, the ball left my hands, everyone in the gym was staring at the ball as it hit the front rim. I heard the crowd gasp but luckily the ball hit the backboard and spun right into the hoop. I felt sense of relief as the gym road with cheer. My teammates cleared the bench in excitement while yelling my name. The score was 44-45 and we were up by one point. There were 6 seconds left on the clock. The other team raced down the court in hopes to change the outcome. I could hear as the opponent’s coach was barking at his team, prodding them on. I took a quick glance at the clock. There were only 3 seconds left which felt like an eternity, but I knew inside that we were going to win. Their shot was a miss. The crowd erupted. I was exhausted and happy at the same time. It was a fantastic feeling.