The Last Chance

• Milla Carter, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2020

I was sitting on the bench waiting for my big moment. I knew my parents were sitting in the stand, holding their breaths waiting for me and my team to run onto the court. This is the 3rd time we have played Bendigo braves since the tournaments started and both of the previous games we lost by 1 point. I could hear the sound of the whistle while our coach was giving us our last pep talk. This was it! The last 5 minutes of the final game of the season. The grand final. It was all down to this. “Remember girls...” said Coach Haskett picking up a basketball. “Don’t force! Pass it around and get it into the key”.
My name is Maddison Smith and I am in the grand final. I play for the Tigers Association with my best friend Logan. Everyone wants to win at this stage. “Tigers, this team has been to many finals and they are good. Yes, this is the 3rd time we have played a final against Bendigo but with all our training we have put in, I believe we can win. So go out there! Don’t foul and have fun!” Cheered Coach. “TIGERS ON 3!” Logan yelled. 1, 2 , 3 Tigers! I tied up my shoelaces extra tight. Logan and I ran onto the court focused. “You ready for this Maddie?” Logan asked. “Never been more ready in my life” I said confidently.

We took our places on the court and I took my spot in Post. Logan passed the ball in and the final minutes have started. The ball was going back and forth to each team. It was a tie. 45 seconds left and we had the ball! Logan dribbled down beating the defence. She passed it to me and I turned, dribbled and shot. SLAP!
“Foul!” Called the Umpire. “2 shots”. DING! The siren had gone off. The game is over. It was all up to me.
I took my place on the free throw line. The Umpire passed me the ball and I took my first shot. I had missed it! The girls came up to me and gave me highfives. “Maddison” Logan whispered. “Don’t think about it as a grand final. You have all the time you need.” She said. I looked at my coach and the crowd. I took a deep breath and shot. I missed it. AGAIN! The Bendigo girls started cheering and hugging each other. We had lost for the 4th time and it was all my fault. I felt horrible. My team looked so defeated. I ran off the court and into the change rooms.
I grabbed my bag and walked home not talking to anyone.

The next day I woke up at noon. I had many messages on my phone, most of them from Logan. I didn’t want to think about what happened last night. Suddenly an email came from my Coach.

“Dear Tigers. One of the girls on the other team was over age which means their team was disqualified! We had won! Good Job Girls!”

Oh my gosh! We had won the grand final! I was so happy and relieved. I thought it was going to be the worst basketball memory ever. But it wasn’t.