She dribbles the ball,
Looking up court,
The crowd is on their feet,
Loud with roars.
Her coach is screaming,
"Don’t turn it over!!"
12 more seconds and the game is over.
The clock ticks slowly...12...11...10...9,

She can’t hear anything,
She can't see anything,
There is only the bouncing of the ball,
u
p
and
d
o
w
n
The feeling of flying,
Soaring through the air,
Shooting towards the basket,
Handling the ball with care.
Fans screaming, "BOX OUT!"
Others screaming, "REBOUND!"


Pressure; SO much pressure!
Shot is up!
Roll around the rim once,
Roll around the rim twice,
Silence in the gym,
Quieter then mice.


Sailing through the net,
Hitting the floor beneath,
Then the crowd screams,
She smiles with relief.
"They’ve won! They’ve won!
The Cougars have won it!"
Now she can hear the yelling of the players,
The victory scream from coaches,
All is right in her mind,
As her excited team approaches.

She shakes hands with her opponents,
Tells them, "Good game,"
Looks at their coach who is ridden with shame.
Along with her smile comes a stomach full of butterflies,
But despite all of the different reactions,
The best is the proudness in her mothers' eyes.