Long Shot for Paul Read Online Free

squeezed out,
     49 to 48.

5
    O n Thursday, December 2, the Sabers tangled with the Cowboys. Last Tuesday the Cowboys had lost their opener to the Shawnees,
     so both the Sabers and the Cowboys were looking for their first win.
    Glenn received his first shock of the evening when Coach Munson called off his name as one of the starters. He was taking
     Frog’s place at left guard.
    Don Marshang was hot almost from the instant the ball was tossed up between the centers. He plunked in a jump shot from the
     keyhole and a few seconds later stolethe ball from a Cowboy, dribbled it all the way up-court, and sank a layup. The red glass knobs on the scoreboard kept changing
     on the Sabers’ side, while nothing showed on the Cowboys’ side. It was 10 to 0 when the Cowboys had the ball and their coach
     signaled their captain to call for time out.
    Both teams went to their respective benches. While the coach of the Cowboys began telling his charges what their trouble was,
     the coach of the Sabers looked at his team with a happy gleam in his eyes.
    “You guys are popping them in like you know what you’re doing,” he said proudly. “Why didn’t you play like that in the first
     game?”
    “We didn’t play the Cowboys the first game,” Stevie answered soberly.
    “Oh. A comedian. Okay. But make sure you don’t get spurred.”
    Everyone laughed. They sure felt good.Glenn wiped his face with a towel. He looked at Paul sitting on the bench next to Benjy. Seeing the two together made him
     think of that incident a year ago when Benjy’s mother had come to take Benjy home. Here on the basketball court was the first
     time that the two boys had been together since then.
    “Glenn — Stevie, take a rest,” advised the coach. “Frog — Benjy, report.”
    A broad smile crossed Paul’s face. “Thataboy, Benjy! Sink a couple for me!”
    Good thing he doesn’t get discouraged sitting on the bench, thought Glenn. Maybe watching the game and getting excited about
     it made him forget that he wasn’t playing.
    Time was up. The Cowboys took the ball from out-of-bounds, passed to their front court. Their tall center bolted toward thebasket, caught a pass, leaped up with it. His easy shot against the boards went in for the Cowboys’ first field goal.
    Benjy tried a jump shot from a corner, was fouled when a short, redheaded kid bumped into him.
    “Two shots!” yelled the referee, and signaled the offender’s number to the scorekeeper.
    “Thataway, Beni!” Glenn shouted. “Sink ’em both, kid!”
    Paul clapped and shouted, too. He was all for little Benjy Myles.
    Benjy stepped to the free-throw line, accepted the ball from the referee, and measured the basket with a long, steady look.
     He didn’t hold the ball up in front of his chest as many foul shooters did. He held it low. Carefully he tossed it up. The
     ball arched sharply — dropped in!
    “Nice shot, Benjy!” cried Paul, clapping as hard as he could.
    Benjy took his second shot. He made that too! The fans cheered and whistled. Especially Paul. Glenn looked at the faces in
     the crowd, wondering if Benjy’s parents were among them. He didn’t see them, and was sure they weren’t. Benjy’s father was
     a salesman and wasn’t home half the time. And Benjy’s mother never went to sporting events, not in winter nor in summer. Anyway,
     Glenn had never seen her at them.
    The Cowboys had a lucky streak and sank three baskets. Then Don took a long shot from the center line just before the first
     quarter buzzer sounded, and made it.
    The Cowboys had better luck the second quarter. Their two scrappy forwards, who were brothers, began dropping in baskets from
     the corners, and it seemed that the Sabers were unable to do a thing about it.When the half ended the Cowboys had gotten to within one point of tying the score. It was 20–19.
    In the third quarter Glenn tried to stop a player from shooting a layup and struck the player’s hand instead of the ball.
     It was