ABSTRACT
Ravi was dripping in sweat. He dribbled the ball up to the top of the key, nearly oblivious to the yelling of the crowd in the bleachers. Ravi was a point guard for his varsity basketball team, the Wilmont Mavericks. It was very late in the fourth quarter of the last game of the season, and the Mavericks were down 50 to 49 against the Greenville Rockets. Pat Turckle, the Mavericks’ center, came out to the top of the key. Ravi eyed the clock: 20 seconds left in the game! He lobbed the ball to Pat, faked left, and exploded to the right past Pat and into the lane, with his right hand outstretched. The player guarding him got left behind as Ravi used Pat for a pick. Pat quickly passed back to Ravi. Nothing like the classic give-and-go when you need a sure basket. Ravi dribbled once and then took two steps, driving the lane for a lay-up. Ravi went up and released the ball. Out of nowhere, Ted Jones, the Rockets’ star forward, jumped toward Ravi and blocked the ball with a loud slap, yelling, “REJECTED!” The crowd moaned. The Rockets recovered the ball, ran it up, and scored with two seconds left. Final score: Rockets 52, Mavericks 49.
