Long Shot for Paul (7 page)

“Two shots,” said the ref. At least the player had not made the basket.

The Blue Wave sank the first, missed the second. There was a scramble for the ball. Hands came up with it. The ball flew up
against the boards, dropped through the net.

Glenn took the ball from out-of-bounds,
passed to Don, and the Sabers moved it up-court. The Blue Waves, wearing satiny blue uniforms with white trim, hovered around
the basket. The Sabers couldn’t move in.

Don took a set shot from the corner. It struck the rim, bounced high. Jim went in for the rebound, struggled for it with the
Blue Waves’ tall center. He got it, passed it back. Glenn caught it, dribbled in, and laid it up. A basket!

“Beautiful, Glenn!” shouted Paul from the bench.

The Blue Waves took out the ball, moved it to their front court. Glenn tried to keep between his man and the ball as much
as possible. The Blue Wave was about his size, but was fast and shifty. Glenn had to keep on his toes every second.

Suddenly the man swung away from him. The ball came through the air like an orange
bolt. Glenn leaped for it. It was just out of his reach. The Blue Wave caught it, went up. The ball arched over the ring.
Jim and Tom Snow leaped and came down with it together, and the whistle shrilled for a jump ball.

A horn sounded and Frog went in. He pointed at Glenn and Glenn went out. “The next time you’re in there try some corner shots,”
advised Coach Munson. “It’s early, and those guys are guarding their basket like hawks.”

Andy caught the tap. A moment later he was called for traveling and the ball went over to the Blue Waves. They moved the ball
across the center line, then passed to a man at the sideline. Don was after it like a cat. He intercepted it and dribbled
it back toward the Sabers’ basket. He passed to Jim. Jim bounce-passed to Frog in the corner
and Frog took a set. The ball arched gracefully and dropped through the net with a soft swish.

Before the quarter was over Benjy and Chet went in, replacing Andy and Stevie. Chet fouled a guy almost the first thing, resulting
in another point for the Blue Waves. Then he sank a field goal. Benjy tried twice to drop one in, but couldn’t. The Blue Waves
led 16–15 as the horn sounded.

The coach let the same fellows who had finished the quarter play for about two minutes in the second quarter, then put Glenn
and Stevie back in. Glenn wondered whether Paul would play. Maybe Coach Munson wouldn’t let him because winning this game
was very important. It would mean ten wins for the Sabers and second place. No matter how decent the coach seemed at times,
he liked to be at the top of the heap — or next to it. It gave him something to
tell his friends about during the summer.

The teams played evenly, neither one gaining three points more than the other. Then, with two minutes and ten seconds left
in the first half, the Blue Waves lost the ball on a traveling charge. The buzzer sounded and Glenn looked to see who was
coming in. Paul! His heart warmed.

Stevie went out. Glenn took the ball from out-of-bounds, passed to Paul.

“Make sure you don’t travel!” cautioned Glenn as he ran past his brother.

Paul took a step forward, pivoted on his foot, passed to Don.

“Way to go, Paul!” Don shouted.

Was that a grin on his lips? Glenn smiled. Maybe Don was coming out of it already, he thought. Like the chick hatching from
its egg.

Don dribbled up-court, passed to Jim. Jim
looked at the basket, feinted a shot to fake his guard out of the way, then bounced a pass to Glenn. Glenn ran in toward the
basket, stopped as two men loomed in front of him. He passed to Don in the corner. Don took a set. In for two points!

The Blue Waves moved the ball in short, swift passes to their basket, tried a layup, missed. Jim caught the rebound. In no
time the ball was back up near their basket. Don tried a corner shot, missed. Tom Snow caught the rebound, but someone knocked
the ball from his hands. It rolled across the floor directly to Paul. Paul scooped it up, passed to Stevie. Glenn glanced
at the clock. There were nineteen seconds left in the half, and the Blue Waves were leading, 33–30.

Quickly they moved the ball to their front court. Glenn passed to Jim and Jim shot to Don.

“Shoot! Shoot!” the cry rose from the Sabers fans.

Don was in the corner. He shot, just as the buzzer sounded. The ball struck the rim, spun around the inside of it, and went
through.

Sabers — 32; Blue Waves — 33.

T
he seconds winked steadily away in the second half. First the Sabers dumped in a shot, and then the Blue Waves dumped one
in. The quarter ended with the Blue Waves trailing by one point, 45–44.

They got hot in the fourth. For the first time in the game they put a spread of five points between them and the Sabers. Glenn,
resting while Benjy relieved him, noticed Coach Munson banging his fists with a rapid tattoo against his leg. The coach was
sweating as if he’d been running around on the floor, too.

All at once he stood and shouted, “Bring it down, Don! Bring it down!”

Don Marshang had just intercepted the ball, was dribbling it toward the Sabers basket. A Blue Wave ran alongside him, tried
to steal the ball. Don stopped quickly, passed to Jim. Jim dribbled a bit, was blocked. He turned, whipped a pass to Don,
and Don took a set. The ball sailed in beautifully.

The whole Sabers bench — including Coach Munson — yelled their throats dry.

Now the Sabers trailed by three points.

“Okay, Paul and Glenn,” Coach Munson said. “Both of you go in. Send out Benjy and Frog. Paul, if you have a chance to shoot
— shoot.”

“I will,” Paul promised.

The brothers reported to the scorekeeper and went in. Glenn slapped Paul lightly on the hip. “Let’s get ’em, kid,” he said.

The Blue Waves sank another. Jun then
drove in and sank a layup. He was fouled, but the ball went through the hoop and he was given one shot. He made it! Two points
behind!

A minute to go. Don, flitting about like a mosquito, intercepted another pass. The Sabers moved the ball to their front court.
They passed carefully. Glenn got the ball, saw Paul move to the corner, and passed it to him.

“Shoot, Paul!” cried Glenn.

Paul had caught the ball. He looked at the basket. He started to shoot, when a Blue Waves man sprang in front of him, struck
the ball and his hands.

Shreeeeek!
“Two shots!” shouted the ref.

Glenn’s heart thundered as Paul went to the free-throw line. The Sabers fans were whooping like crazy. The referee pleaded
for them to be quiet, then handed the ball to Paul.

Paul bounced it once, looked at the basket, and shot. Swish! Right through the net! For an instant the crowd yelled — then
quieted again.

Paul took his second shot. Swish! The score was tied!

The Blue Waves took out the ball, lost it on a traveling violation. Once again, with caution, the Sabers moved the ball toward
their basket. Then, from the corner, Don took a set. It went in!

Seconds later the buzzer sounded. The ball game was over. The Sabers won, 53–51.

The Sabers formed a belt around their happy coach. “Hooray, Coach! Hooray, Coach! Hooray, Coach!” they yelled.

Coach Munson was as thrilled as his charges. One by one he pumped their hands. When he came to Paul he shook Paul’s hand harder
than he did any of the others’.

“Paul, those two foul shots did it,” he said. “You came through like a champion.”

“Thanks, Coach.” Paul’s sweating face beamed like a beacon.

Then, to Glenn’s happy surprise, Don came up to Paul and shook his hand, too. “You did great, Paul!” he said. “You really
helped us win that ball game!”

Then all the other players shook Paul’s hand. Glenn thought he had never seen Paul so happy.

That Saturday afternoon, Benjy came over. It was the first time he had been at the house since that day his mother had come
after him.

“Can Paul come over to my house?” he asked. His eyes were big as walnuts as he looked from Glenn to Judy and then to Paul.

Mom appeared from the next room. “Hi, Benjy.” She smiled.

“Hi, Mrs. Marlette.”

“Can I go over to Benjy’s house, Mom?” Paul asked hopefully. “Can I, Mom?”

“I guess you can,” Mom said.

“Oh, boy!” cried Paul. He got dressed and hurried out with Benjy. Both looked as happy as ever as they ran down the porch
steps and headed for Benjy’s house.

“I wonder if Benjy’s mother knows about it?” Glenn said.

“We’ll find out soon enough,” replied his sister.

A half hour went by. Then someone was at the door. It was Paul. He was smiling and breathing as if he were in a terrible rush
about something.

“Well, he stayed for a while,” said Glenn. “They were probably playing somewhere where she couldn’t see them.”

Paul went to his room, came out with
something in his hand, and left again. Glenn looked curiously at Judy. “That was the present he was going to give Benjy at
Christmastime,” he said. “He’s kept it all this while!”

Noontime came and Paul had not re-turned for lunch.

“Maybe you should go over there, Glenn, and tell him to come home,” Mom suggested. “Those two kids are probably stuck somewhere
so that even Mrs. Myles doesn’t know where they are.”

Glenn put on his parka and walked over to the Myles’s house. He didn’t see the kids out front nor out back, and wondered what
to do. If he knocked at the door and asked for Paul, Mrs. Myles might look at him as if he were insulting her or something.

Doggone Paul. Where did he and Benjy go?

He heard a creak and saw the back door of the Myles’s house open. Mrs. Myles looked out. There was something on her face Glenn
had never seen before — a real, genuine smile.

“Glenn, if you’re looking for Paul,” she said, “he’s in the house, playing with Benjy. Benjy has a racing car set and they’re
having the time of their lives.”

Glenn stared. “Oh? Well — he’s got to come home and eat.”

“He’s going to eat with us,” Mrs. Myles said. “I phoned your mother just a minute ago. She said it was all right. Would you
like to come in, too? We have enough for all of us.”

Glenn trembled. “No. No, thanks, Mrs. Myles. Mom’s got the stuff almost on the table already. Then it’s all right for Paul
to stay?”

“Of course it is.”

He smiled. “Okay. Thanks, Mrs. Myles. I’d better get home then. Good-bye!”

“Good-bye.”

He raced home. The door clattered loudly behind him as he rushed into the house. “He’s going to eat there!” he shouted. “He’s
playing with Benjy’s racing cars and he’s going to eat there!”

Mom’s eyes twinkled. “That’s what Mrs. Myles told me,” she said.

“Well, it’s about time!” cried Judy, and she started to dance about the room. “Guess it just takes some people longer to open
up their eyes.”

“And their hearts,” added Mom.

Glenn went to the living room and plunked himself in front of the keyboard Mom and Dad had given Paul. He struck a chord.
“Wow!” he cried, and grabbed hold of his nose.

“What a sour one that was!” Judy laughed. “Maybe you’d better have Paul teach you to play that thing!”

“You’re right!” Glenn laughed, too. “Well, that’s only fair, isn’t it? I taught him basket-ball. He can teach me music!”

Baseball Flyhawk	Dirt Bike Runaway
Baseball Pals	Dive Right In
Baseball Turnaround	Double Play at Short
The Basket Counts	Face-Off
Body Check	Fairway Phenom
Catch That Pass!	Football Fugitive
Catcher with a Glass Arm	Football Nightmare
Catching Waves	The Fox Steals Home