There were ten seconds on the clock, with the Power leading by one. Coach Shabaka drew up an inbounds play — Amen would pass the ball to Nigel in the backcourt so he could get fouled or dribble out the clock. Nigel was the best ball handler and best free-throw shooter on the team. Every player understood their role.
The Power players all got into position on the court. Amen was stationed out of bounds at the half-court line, waiting for the referee to hand over the ball. The referee blew the whistle, dropped the ball into Amen’s hands and began the five-second count. Nigel tried to shake free of the Wildcats defenders, but they were stuck like glue to him. No one else could get free either. With one second left on the referee’s count, Amen lobbed a pass in Nigel’s direction, hoping that he would jump and secure the possession. Instead, one the Wildcats players tipped the pass, and the ball bounced onto the Power’s side of the court, closer to where Denham was. Nigel raced to retrieve the ball ahead of the Wildcats players. Denham also took off, trying to secure the rock. They scooped up the ball at the same time. Nigel and Denham wrestled for the ball, each gripping it with two hands. Both tried to secure the win by ripping it away from the other.
“Let go! Give it to me. Let them foul me,” Nigel demanded as the Wildcats defenders inched toward them.
“It’s okay. It’s okay. No, I got it,” Denham replied.
“Just let go!” Nigel cried. He used all his force and body weight to snatch the ball away. The sudden yank made Denham go off balance, twisting his ankle and dropping him hard to the floor. Nigel lost control and the ball squirted out of his hands, right into the hands of the nearest Wildcats player. With seconds left on the clock, the Wildcats player pulled up for the game-winning shot.
BAAAAP!
The shot was blocked from behind by Kash, who had sprinted down the court in time to get a hand on the ball. The buzzer sounded to end the game as time expired.
TWEET! TWEET! Both referees blew their whistles, indicating there was a foul on the play. The Power players tried to protest, until they realized that Denham was still rolling on the floor in pain, gripping his ankle. Coach Shabaka hurried out onto the court to attend to Denham. Nigel was in complete shock. He couldn’t believe what happened, that they had given the Wildcats a chance to tie or win the game. His first thought was to blame Denham. If Denham had just let go of the ball, none of this would have happened. However, now that he saw Denham rocking in pain on the floor, Nigel couldn’t help but feel bad. He had to realize that it wasn’t all Denham’s fault.
Coach Shabaka and Amen helped Denham to his feet and served as his crutches because Denham couldn’t put any pressure on the hurt ankle. Kiya and Coach Rodney ran off to get ice packs and the first aid kit for Denham’s quickly swelling ankle, while the referees cleared the court so that the Wildcats could take their final free throws. The referee indicated that there were to be three shots because the player was behind the three-point line when he was fouled in the act of shooting.
Nigel dropped to his knees, hands on his head in disbelief that the Wildcats would have three chances to at least tie the game. The Wildcats player stepped to the free-throw line. He looked nervous. He stood straight-legged and, with shaky hands, he threw up the first shot. It banged against the backboard and bounced off the front of the rim. The Power players breathed a slight sigh of relief, but didn’t celebrate. The Wildcats still had two more shots. The Wildcats player walked away from the free-throw line to shake out his jitters. He returned to the line with renewed confidence. This time he bent his knees and allowed the ball to roll off his shooting hand. Again the ball hit the backboard hard, but this time the backspin forced it to drop directly into the basket.
The Power players moaned. The Wildcats clapped, but not too much, because they knew it wasn’t over yet. One more made free throw would win them the game. A miss meant they were going to overtime.
Nigel was still on his knees, praying for a miss. He vowed to win the game if he got another chance to play. He just needed the Wildcats to miss the free throw. The Wildcats player at the line took a deep breath as the referee tossed him the ball and signalled that he could take the shot. The gym went completely silent. The Wildcats player held the ball at his hip while simulating the shot with his free hand. He then took hold of the ball with both hands, bent his knees, took aim and released the ball from his hands in what looked like slow motion. The players were all held captive by the floating pumpkin. The orange ball hit the back of the orange rim and bounced high above the backboard before nestling on the front of the rim. Players from both teams and spectators all gasped, unable to tell whether the ball was going to fall in or fall out.
Nigel jumped to his feet in excitement. “PLEASE!” he whispered loudly, holding his fists high in the air. The ball teetered forward and back like a seesaw, before finally falling through the net. The Wildcats and their fans exploded with cheers. Nigel and the rest of the Power players were devastated. Their season was over with a loss in the first round of the playoffs. It was a major upset — the first-place team losing to the lowest seed in the playoffs. And Nigel had to wonder if his plans against Denham had anything to do with it.