Without any hope of stabilising himself, Atkins went flying forwards and crashed into part of the structure holding the hoop up as the crowd went wild.
The offender turned his back and started walking in the opposite direction.
Remarkably, he was not ejected — the incident was assessed only as a flagrant foul.
Per US media, Atkins left the court briefly but was OK to return later on and help Hanover win the game in overtime to advance to the state title game.
US website Deadspin called it a "breathtakingly dirty, dangerous foul".
"Here is an absolutely awful, perhaps criminal play," Chris Thompson wrote.
"Perhaps the most unbelievable part of the video is that a massive brawl did not immediately commence."
Tim Whelan Jr of USA Today wrote: "No matter a game's intensity, there is no place for fouls like this one.
"For that split-second any hit can do serious damage given the player's vulnerability and the distance he has to travel to the ground."
Andrew Doughty of Hero Sports called the brain snap an "incomprehensible" moment and American radio host and writer for sports website The Read Optional Trey Wallace was scathing of the play, as were plenty of others on social media.
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