Dunk pt. 2

Noah was streaking toward the basket in a fluid motion. All in one motion, he cradled the ball in his right hand and began to elevate. I have seen Noah play probably 10 games between last season and this one, and knew that he was one of the best jumpers on the teams. Even though Noah had some "ups" he was only 6'2". I had seen him try a dunk in last year's game against Brother Rice and miss, so I actually had my doubts this time. But I just knew he'd try to slam it home instead of just lay it up and in.

The whole gym seemed to go silent, as if all the spectators collectively held their breath. 1,000 pairs of eyes were on Noah and the basketball. Dunk or lay-up? Noah's hand and the ball were above the rim now, but just barely. He forced the ball down with a mighty slam, but instead of falling cleanly through the rim, the ball hit the back of the metal and bounced out. A miss! There was a collective gasp, kind of like a big "Ahhhh!" from the U of D side of court. The CC fans did not react, realizing that their night would be long, indeed, despite Noah's missed dunk.