Some of the 200 or so people scattered throughout the stands at Mountain View High School’s gymnasium are gathering their belongings and tossing jackets over their shoulders as the clock on the scoreboard runs down, the digits in the hundredths of a second box fluttering by indiscernibly. The Central Oregon Hotshots are leading the West Coast High Flyers 136-128 and Arthur Lewis, Jr. – by far the shortest player on the court – is dribbling near half court and looks like he’ll run out the clock. Some High Flyers have already wandered to their bench, accepting the eight-point loss.
Lewis then bounds toward the basket (1) where two of his teammates are waiting. At first it appears as if they’re going to block their own teammate’s shot. But then Lewis flings his body at the two lumbering players who grab him around the ribs from each side and hoist him up to the basket. Lewis slams the ball, hangs on the rim for a delicate moment then descends to the floor and it’s hard to tell if the cheers or the laughs from the crowd are more audible.
With that, welcome to the International Basketball League.
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