Dashed hopes, breathless victories and painful regrets make up “Shot in the Dark,” a documentary that has the rhythm of some spare yet deeply felt street poetry.

Taking place mostly on Chicago’s West Side, the film centers on Orr Academy High School and its basketball team, the Spartans. Lou Adams, the head coach, trains his athletes in the gym and pleads with them to avoid trouble outside it: We see neighborhood memorials to young men killed in gun violence, and learn that more than 20 people in the community died during the time the documentary was made.

Tyquone Greer and Marquise Pryor, two star players, have visions of college careers, but the call of gangs and parties often proves too seductive. The director Dustin Nakao Haider follows them as they navigate their days and nights, on and off the court.

Though the premise is familiar — see “Hoop Dreams” or any of the countless feature films about youth sports — the excitement still stays high when the games begin. At other times Mr. Haider records his subjects without comment; no one here is prodded to overexplain. This director isn’t afraid of silence, and he’s prepared to let a quiet moment speak for itself. Attentive viewing is required, and rewarded.