Winning is "not a matter of life and death," according to the venerable sporting adage coined by former UCLA football coach Red Saunders, "it's more important than that." The reality, of course, is the exact opposite, and that fact was vividly illustrated by the actions of the high school basketball players and coaches of DeKalb, Ill., and Milwaukee Madison earlier this month.

During the day of their match-up, Milwaukee's captain, Johntel Franklin (pictured here) had the misfortune of being at his mother's bedside when she succumbed to a five-year battle with cervical cancer. Understandably, he decided to skip the game, but later Franklin changed his mind.

In the second quarter, he arrived late in what was a close game. Because Franklin was not scheduled to play, DeKalb were awarded two free throws for a technical foul. DeKalb's Darius McNeal stepped to the line, and proceeded to purposely miss the shots, bouncing the ball several times on their way to the baseline. McNeal's attempts were rewarded with a standing ovation from players and fans from both teams.

Franklin eventually scored 10 points as Milwaukee won comfortably. Afterwards, players from both teams went out for pizza together. McNeal's take on his meaningful missed shots: "I did it for the guy who lost his mom ... it was the right thing to do."

(If you're the type who cried at the end of "Rudy," you should probably go grab the Kleenex now.)

Looking for more inspirational stories? Check out our gallery of amazing rescues below.

Amazing Rescues

    Jesús García Corona was a Mexican railroad engineer who was killed trying to keep a train loaded with dynamite from exploding near Nacozari de García, Sonora, in 1907. García drove the train at full-steam six kilometers out of the town before the dynamite exploded, killing him and 12 other railwaymen and bystanders, but sparing the population of the mining town.

    lajornada

    Prinsendam Rescue A fire broke out on the Dutch cruise vessel Prinsendam off Ketchikan, Alaska on 4 October 1980. The Prinsendam was 130 miles from the nearest airstrip. The cruise ship's captain ordered the ship abandoned and the passengers, many elderly, left the ship in the lifeboats. Coast Guard and Canadian helicopters and the cutters Boutwell, Mellon, and Woodrush responded in concert with other vessels in the area. The passenger vessel later capsized and sank. The rescue is particularly important because of the distance traveled by the rescuers, the coordination of independent organizations and the fact that all 520 passengers and crew and crew were rescued without loss of life or serious injury.

    AP

    Coast Guard's Hurricane Katrina effort Search and rescue operations alone saved 24,135 lives from imminent danger, usually off the roofs of the victims' homes as flood waters lapped at their feet. Coast Guardsmen "evacuated to safety" 9,409 patients from local hospitals. In total, 33,545 souls were saved. Seventy-six Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary aircraft took part in the rescues. They flew 1,817 sorties with a total flight time of 4,291.3 hours in the air. The air crews saved 12,535. A total of 42 cutters and 131 small boats also participated, with their crews rescuing 21,200. Over 5,000 Coast Guardsmen served in Katrina operations.

    Eric Gay, AP

    36-hour distress call pays off and saves ships passengers ...

    http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/rescue/peopleevents/pandeAMEX90.html

    hamradio.arc.nasa.gov

    Man saves climber left for dead on Everest ...

    http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/273360_climber09.html

    Binod Joshi, AP

    During WWII, US airmen protected by Yugoslavian peasants for 66 days before they could be airlifted.

    http://www.courierpress.com/news/2008/sep/01/soldier-recounts-wwii-rescue/

    AP

    Dolphins rescue whales ...

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23588063/

    WSPA / AP

    Columbian military dupes Farc rebels and rescues 15 hostages ...

    http://warandhealth.com/colombian-hostage-rescue-could-of-been-discovered-by-a-single-internet-search/

    Colombian Army / AP

    Man saves convulsing man from being run over by subway train ...

    http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/03/nyregion/03life.html

    NBC / AP

    Firefighters rescue a man from the edge of Niagara Falls ...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=386a4-Ch7Nw

    youtube.com