Long Shot for Paul Read Online Free Page A

Glenn’s second foul of the game. This time it meant more than it did the first time. It gave the Cowboys a chance to
     creep ahead.
    Disappointed, Glenn walked toward the center line, holding up one hand to identify himself to the scorekeeper, and waited
     for the Cowboy to take his two shots.
    Both went in and the Cowboys were ahead, 21–20.
    “Come on, Glenn!” Don said, tapping him on the hip. “Let’s get ’em back!”
    No one was more anxious to get those points back than Glenn. He guarded his man like a hawk, shifting with him as if he were
     the man’s shadow. The Cowboys werenear the Sabers basket, trying desperately to put in another one.
    A pass shot like a comet to Glenn’s right side. He intercepted it, and dribbled it toward the center line where two Cowboys
     tried to take it from him. He saw Jim swing around behind him, and pushed the ball between his legs to the tall center. Jim
     scooped it up and dribbled it all the way up-court. The fans cheered and screamed as Jim laid it up.
    Glenn felt better. Jim got the cheers, but it was he, Glenn, who had passed him the ball. He didn’t let up. He continued to
     guard his man closely, hoping that he might be able to intercept another pass. But the Cowboys seemed to play more cautiously
     now. They were making more sure of their passes.
    The referee’s whistle shrilled. “Traveling!”he cried, indicating the violation by rotating his hands. The ball went to the Sabers.
    Glenn passed it from out-of-bounds to Andy, then ran down the sideline. Andy passed it back to him. He tried to take a shot,
     but his guard sprang like a cat in front of him. Glenn saw Don waving on the opposite side and pegged the ball to him. The
     instant he let it go he knew the throw was wild. It sailed far over Don’s head and into the bleachers where one of the fans
     caught it.
    That was his big trouble — throwing passes. The horn honked and Dan Levine, a tall blond boy, came in and replaced him.
    “Shooting for the moon, Glenn?” Coach Munson’s grin wasn’t too pleasant. “Don’t throw to a man a mile away from you. Wait’ll
     your passes are more accurate.”
    Glenn nodded. He knew that was histrouble, but he usually didn’t think about it in time.
    The third quarter ended with the Sabers leading by a thin margin, 36–35. The coach sent in two guys to replace Jim and Don,
     and for a moment the spot on Glenn’s left side was vacant. Paul came and sat beside him.
    “Sure wish I was playing,” he muttered softly.
    “Don’t worry,” said Glenn. “Coach Munson will get you a uniform. Maybe he’ll have it by the next game.” He smiled. “It’s a
     lot of fun, isn’t it?”
    “I think I could do as good as some of them,” Paul said.
    Glenn laughed. “Well, it looks easy. But it isn’t. You’ll see. The thing is, you can’t let stuff bother you. If you miss shots,
     you can’t get sick over it. Or if you throw a bad pass like I did, you just try to do better thenext time. You’ll understand after you play awhile.”
    “If I ever play,” Paul said, discouraged.
    “Don’t worry. You will,” Glenn assured him.
    It was nip and tuck all the way to the very last minute when the Sabers really got hot and dumped in three baskets in rapid
     order. They won 48 to 41, sending the Cowboys home with their second loss in a row.
    No teams practiced on Fridays, so Glenn took Paul with him to the Recreation Hall and they practiced on foul shots. Paul had
     trouble finding his range for a while. As soon as he did he began hitting baskets almost fifty percent of the time. They had
     to quit when a bunch of kids came and wanted the court.
    The next morning they practiced foul shots and layups at home. It was Saturday,and the sun was out bright and warm. Only small patches of snow lingered here and there on the lawn. The blacktop driveway
     was clear.
    Benjy came and stood watching them from the sidewalk until Paul invited him to join them. Glenn was surprised to see