Basketball Sparkplug (6 page)

Kim looked up at the sea of sparkling faces. A flock of white hands rose and waved at him.

Kim’s face brightened. Imagine Mrs. Kelsey and the choir doing that for the Arrows! Who would have thought—

Kim turned his attention back to the game.

Jordan took the ball out for the Arrows. He bounced it to Ron. Ron passed to Kim. Kim wanted to pass, but all his teammates
were well guarded.

He dribbled down-court. All at once he was trapped. Seals surrounded him.

Then he saw a figure in blue running clear of the others. It was Allan. Kim leaped, snapped the ball. Allan caught it.

In an instant the Seals swarmed around Allan. Kim knew there were only seconds left to go in the game. Breathlessly he raced
down the side line.

Allan held the ball high, pivoting on one foot, while he looked for a free man to throw the ball to.

Like a bolt of lightning, Kim swooped in front of his man. Allan whipped the ball to him.

Kim caught it, dribbled toward the basket. But he couldn’t shoot. Two Seals got in front of him, jumping around him so fast
they seemed to be all arms and legs.

There wasn’t much time. Only seconds—

Kim whirled, then leaped off the floor. At the same time he turned his shoulder so that he faced the basket.

He spotted Allan beyond the basket, waving his right arm. Kim shot the ball to him. Allan caught it, leaped for the basket,
and with one hand tried a layup.

The ball banked against the backboard, and arched down through the net!

Scarcely had the ball dropped into a Seal player’s hands, when the whistle blew, announcing the end of the game!

The Arrows had won the Small Fry Basketball Championship, 39 to 38!

The Arrows’ fans screamed lustily. Kim saw Mrs. Kelsey and the choir and the whole Arrows’ rooting section standing
on their feet and waving their arms with joy. He saw his mother and father too, and Aunt Carol, Uncle Jim, and Barbara Mae.
They were standing and cheering their hearts out.

Kim choked. Boy! he thought. Oh, boy!

Coach Stickles shook Kim’s hand in the dressing room.

“I won’t say that without you the Arrows cannot win a game, Kim,” he said, “but this I’m sure of: We would not have won the
game tonight without the choir. They sure gave us the help we needed.”

Kim could only smile.

After both teams showered and dressed, they were invited for supper
at the Markson Hotel. The commissioner of the league gave a speech, and said that next week a banquet would be held in honor
of the champion Arrows. At that time the trophy would be given to them, and to each Arrow player an award pin.

“And you runners-up, the Seals, are invited too,” the commissioner added, smiling. “You boys played a wonderful game. Until
the very last second nobody really knew who was going to win. So, for each one of you, an award pin also.”

That made the Seals feel pretty good. They just smiled at each other. But the Arrows, to show their appreciation, clapped
and cheered for them.

Ron was sitting on Kim’s left. After
the commissioner sat down, Ron leaned toward Kim and said, “You know who should be given a pin too?”

Kim frowned. “Who?”

“That choir you’re in. If they hadn’t been there, maybe we wouldn’t have won!”

For a moment Kim thought Ron was poking fun at him and the choir again.

But the longer he looked at Ron, the more certain he was that Ron meant every word he said. Kim could tell by Ron’s eyes,
and the serious smile on Ron’s lips.

That night, when Kim got off the bus near his house, Ron shouted out, “Good night, Kimmy, pal! See you tomorrow!”

Kim knew then that Ron would not make fun of him any more.

As he headed for the front porch, where a light was burning for him, a tune popped into Kim’s mind. And then suddenly he began
singing:

We came to see the Arrows win!

Arrows win! Arrows win!

We came to see the Arrows win,

And carry home the tro-phy!

Kim wanted to play basketball. He was a good player, too. But sometimes he didn’t keep his mind on the game very well, and
sometimes he made mistakes that disgusted the other boys on the Arrows’ team.

The trouble was that Kim didn’t practice as much as the others. Instead he took singing lessons and sang in the choir. Some
of the boys kidded him about that; in fact, they were presore about it and blamed Kim when Arrows lost. No wonder it was he
for Kim to do his best.

How Kim managed to combine two things he liked to do is told plenty of basketball action in

BASKETBALL SPARKPLUG

by MATT CHRISTOPHER

author of T
HE
L
UCKY
B
ASEBALL
B
AT
and B
ASEBALL
P
ALS

Illustrated by Ken Wagner

Jimmie was the captain, and he wanted to be the pitcher. So he made himself the pitcher. He was surprised when his friend
Paul, who was a good pitcher, decided to play with the Red Rockets rather than play center field for the Planets, Jimmie’s
team.

Jimmie intended to be a smart pitcher, throwing a lot of hooks, striking men out like anything. He was cross when the other
boys told him he was no pitcher—he should let Paul pitch. And he was both hurt and mad when is kid brother Ervie plainly was
uncomfortable about the way his hero, Jimmie, was acting.

Then Jimmie couldn’t find the plate. And practice didn’t seem to help. What were the Planets to do, with a wild pitcher, and
the first game of the Grasshopper League season coming up? Here is the story of what Jimmie did for the team, and for himself,
in

BASEBALL PALS

By MATT CHRISTOPHER

author of T
HE
L
UCKY
B
ASEBALL
B
AT

Illustrated by Robert Henneberger

Starts His Sons Early

Sports have always been Matt Christopher’ first interest next to writing. He has played both Professional and semiprofessional
baseball. In T
HE
L
UCKY
B
ASEBALL
B
AT
, in B
ASEBALL
P
ALS
and in T
WO
S
TRIKES ON
J
OHNNY
the author wanted to tell stories not only about baseball, but about real boys who will be remembered. His aim was the same
in B
ASKETBALL
S
PARKPLUG
, and his basketball is just as lively as his baseball.

Mr. Christopher is married and now lives in Ithaca, New York. The Christophers have four children—three boys, Martin, Dale,
and Duane, and a girl, Pamela Jean.