Hoop Crazy by Eric Walters

water bottle and watched as he bounced the ball on the pavement … and thenbounced it again. He put the ball up … air ball! He didn’t even hit the backboard!
    â€œTake it outside!” the ref called out.
    Kia was going to in-bounds the ball. Ned set up in his usual place while Mark took up a spot just outside the three-point line. This time he was being closely covered.
    â€œBreak!” Kia yelled.
    Ned lumbered up toward her while Mark limped over to the side. It looked painful even to watch him move. She tossed in a high pass to Ned. His defender jumped high in the air but wasn’t even close to getting it. Ned faked a shot and then put it out to Mark. He shot and missed. Ned grabbed the rebound.
    â€œPut it up!” my father yelled.
    Ned turned around and put up a shot — nothing but net! The game was tied at fifteen!
    â€œSub!” I screamed.
    â€œYou can’t substitute with every possession!” the ref called out. “Keep playing.”
    I was going to say something, but I knew he wasn’t going to change his mind.
    â€œGo to a zone!” I screamed.
    Mark and Kia backed in toward the net. Ned looked confused.
    â€œJust stay under the net!” I yelled at him and he nodded his head and retreated underneath the hoop.
    The other team took the ball to the top. The ball was bounced into Kia who sent it back out to the player.
    The whole game was now down to one shot. By playing a zone we were challenging them to take a shot from the outside — but what choice did we have? Mark couldn’t run and Ned wasn’t quick enough to cover anybody. If they sunk it, they won. If they missed, we’d have a chance to win it.
    â€œHands up!” Kia screamed and all three of them put their hands up. Ned was stretching up so far it looked like he could almost touch the rim.
    They pushed the ball around, first to one man, then the other, and back to the first. They were all open for a shot but it was like they were all afraid to take it, like they’d rather somebody else was the hero … or the goat. Finally one of their players set, got the ball and got ready to shoot. Kia rushed out and jumped into the air … he faked the shot and drib-bled by her … it was just a little ten-footer now! He put the ball up and Ned reached out and smashed it away! It bounced right to Kia who dribbled a few feet out to the line and then threw it back in to Mark. He put up a little shot and it dropped! We’d won! We’d won!

    Silently we watched as a woman at the score-keeping tent listed our score. Some of the other game scores weren’t in yet, so we didn’t know if we’d be moving on. There were two other teams that still had a chance to finish with the same record as us.
    â€œWhat happens if we’re tied?” Ned asked.
    â€œThey have rules to break ties. The first one is head-to-head competition.”
    â€œWhat does that mean?” he asked.
    â€œWe beat team six. Even if they win their fifth game and finish with the same record as us, we’ll be in and they’ll be out.”
    â€œSo they can’t beat us,” Ned said.
    â€œThey’re not the team we’re worried about,” Kia said. “We have to find out how team seven did.”
    â€œThat was the fourth team we played, right?” Ned asked.
    â€œThat was them. If they won their last game then we’re out.”
    â€œIt can’t be long,” Kia said. “Even if nobody reaches sixteen baskets the time must almost be up.”
    â€œUnless they started late,” I said.
    We stood off to the side and watched as people brought game sheets over to the scorekeeper’s table. She looked at each score and then walked over and recorded each game on the big board.
    â€œI don’t see anybody from team seven,” Kia said.
    â€œThat’s good.” The winning team was responsible for bringing the sheets over, so as long as we