Over the next few days, Tipper and Buzz avoided the whole sore subject of the missing trophy. It was time to coach the Fast Breakers and the Blazers for the championships. The twins filled everyone’s days with practices, clinics, and drills. If they were upset with each other, they tried not to show it. Basketball came first.
But the Aldens thought a lot about Tipper’s missing trophy. They put Violet’s Lost and Found posters all over Greenfield. Maybe somebody knew something about where it might be. They just couldn’t accept that Buzz had anything to do with its disappearance.
“You know, Patsy was up in my room acting kind of funny the day she borrowed my shorts,” Jessie said one afternoon when the twins were out. “She got all upset when I asked her about it. I feel funny bringing the subject up again, but maybe she had something to do with the trophy. After the other kids left, she was still outside playing basketball. Remember?”
Violet had some thoughts, too. “Well, lots of other kids besides Patsy were holding and touching it.”
“If you ask me, Courtney and Frank Fowler could have taken it if they saw Buzz put it in the car,” Henry suggested. “Look how bothered they are that the twins get so much attention. Too bad Tipper doesn’t want to ask them about the trophy. I guess she doesn’t want more problems with them.”
“You’re right, Henry,” Jessie said. “Well, let’s just hope someone who knows something about the trophy will see our posters and give us a call.”
But no one called about the missing trophy. And the Aldens had very little time to think about it until the championship games were over.
More than anything, Buzz and Tipper wanted to help the Fast Breakers and the Blazers to win their own trophies. Every night before dinner they coached the Aldens for a few minutes.
“I hope no one gets too upset that you give us extra help,” Henry told Buzz one evening when they were playing one-on-one in the backyard.
“Only a little extra help,” Buzz said. “Besides, it gives Tipper and me some extra practice, too. No doubt about it, you Aldens give us a good workout. Don’t forget, we have to be in good shape for our fund-raising game on Opening Day.”
Henry zoomed past Buzz. “And it’s . . . in!” he cried when his quick layup circled the rim then dropped through the net.
“Good one, Henry!” Buzz said. “If you make shots like that against the Hot Shots tomorrow, the Blazers will win the championship.”
Henry and Buzz went in to get a drink of water. It was the girls’ turn to practice.
Jessie and Violet went outside to wait for Tipper. They were surprised to see Patsy Cutter in the backyard. She was practicing shots from the foul line.
“Hi, Patsy,” Violet said. She gave her friend a big smile. “You’re just in time to practice with Jessie and me. Tipper will be out in a second.”
Patsy didn’t look too happy to see Violet or Jessie. “Some of the Fast Breakers think it’s not fair that you get Tipper to yourselves all the time. I decided to come for extra help.”
“It’s okay with us,” Jessie said. “Why don’t you work out with Tipper by yourself? You’re such a good player, Violet and I can learn a lot just by watching the two of you play.”
This seemed to make Patsy feel better. Soon Tipper joined her for some one-on-one basketball.
“I’m getting a real workout here,” Tipper told Patsy as she tried to get the ball away. “You’re pretty good at faking me out.”
Patsy made another basket.
Violet and Jessie were cheering. “Good shot, Patsy!” Violet said, proud of her friend.
Patsy made one more basket. It went in. She’d beaten Tipper Nettleton!
“Great playing, Patsy,” Tipper said. “Courtney’s taught you a lot. The Blue Stars girls had better watch out. Thanks for playing with me. I need the practice before I meet Courtney across the court during the fund-raising game next week.”
Patsy put her basketball in her sports bag. “Thanks, Tipper.” She turned to Jessie. “I brought back your shorts. Do you have the ones I left here?”
“They’re still in the upstairs bathroom,” Jessie told her. “On the towel bar.”
Patsy picked up her sports bag. “I’ll leave these on your bed and go get mine.”
Jessie got up, too. “I’ll come with you.”
“That’s okay,” Patsy said. “I know where to go.”
“I have to get something, anyway,” Jessie told Patsy.
Patsy reached into her bag. “Well, never mind. Here are the shorts I borrowed. I’ll get mine some other time.”
Jessie took the shorts. “No problem. I’ll bring them to our next practice.”
The next day, the Blazers and the Hot Shots met on the courts of the Greenfield High School gym, where the championship games were being held. Henry and his team were down on the court. Tipper and the other Aldens were up in the bleachers, waiting for the second half of the game to start.
The two teams were a good match. At halftime the scoreboard said Blazers, 22, Hot Shots, 22.
Buzz stood in front of the Blazers for a pep talk.
A player named Jake Reed raised his hand. “I didn’t foul number fifteen. Honestly, Buzz. But Mr. Fowler blew the whistle on me, anyway.”
“And when somebody fouled me, Mr. Fowler didn’t catch it,” Henry said. “What do we do if it happens again?”
Buzz thought hard. He’d been playing basketball a lot longer than the Blazers. He knew better than to question the referee. “Just play the best basketball you can,” he told his team. “Don’t get too close to anybody. That way you can’t foul them, and they can’t foul you. If you play good ball the way I taught you, you’ll make all your points without any fouls.”
Halftime was over. The Blazers and Hot Shots circled for the toss-up. The buzzer went off. Henry tipped the ball to Jake, who passed it to another Blazer. Frank Fowler blew his whistle. He signaled for the Blazers to hand the ball over to the Hot Shots.
“I can’t believe it!” Jessie said when Frank Fowler made this call. “The Blazers’ ball was inside the lines when they passed it, right, Tipper?”
Tipper rested her chin on her fists. “Whew! I don’t believe what I’m seeing, either. Frank Fowler keeps making a lot of calls against the Blazers.”
“Is there anything Buzz can do?” Violet asked Tipper.
Tipper kept her eyes on the court. “Not much. If he complains, it might upset Mr. Fowler. All Buzz can do is help his players stay calm and play the best basketball they can.”
That’s exactly how Buzz coached the Blazers from the sidelines. Though Frank Fowler missed seeing several fouls against the Blazers, Buzz didn’t question the referee. He just cheered on his team.
With a minute left in the game, the score was tied at 46–46.
The game went into overtime. The two teams went basket for basket during overtime.
Then Henry got the rebound. With just another few seconds left on the clock, Henry made a basket.
“It’s in!” the Aldens screamed from their seats. “The Blazers are ahead by two points!”
Tipper chewed on her thumbnail. “All the Blazers have to do is keep the Hot Shots from scoring. This is where all those guarding drills Buzz did with the Blazers will pay off.”
The gym was wild with noise and cheering. The Blazers and Hot Shots had never played a better game. The Hot Shots player with the ball looked for chances to pass or throw. But everywhere he looked, a Blazer guarded a Hot Shots player. Finally the Hot Shots player tried to shoot.
“Foul!” Frank Fowler called out, pointing to a Blazer guard.
The Blazers fans groaned. No one had seen the guard touch the player.
“He didn’t touch him, did he, Tipper?” Violet asked.
Tipper shook her head. “I know he didn’t. Everybody else knows he didn’t, too. But that’s what Frank called. Now the Hot Shots guy gets two foul shots.”
The gym was completely silent now. The Hot Shots player stood at the foul line. He made his first throw. The ball bounced off the rim.
“Whew,” Jessie said. “The Blazers are still ahead.” She crossed her fingers.
The player took another foul shot. This one circled the rim for the longest time. Was it going to go in?
“He missed!” Tipper cried when the ball dropped off the rim onto the court.
When the final buzzer went off, the crowd seemed to explode.
“The Blazers won! The Blazers won!” the Aldens and other Blazers fans yelled and screamed.
The Aldens scrambled down the bleachers to the court. They hugged Henry. They hugged Buzz.
“You’re the champions!” Tipper said, hugging Buzz over and over. “You guys did it.”
Friends and family and sports photographers took pictures and talked to the team. Then the mayor came out and presented the boys’ league trophy to Buzz. He passed it down the line to his players. Finally, when all the picture-taking was over, the Blazers left the gym.
Tipper and the Aldens waited outside the locker room. Henry and Buzz came out in their street clothes a few minutes later.
Buzz gave Henry a friendly punch in the shoulder. “Great game, Henry. You guys did everything I taught you.”
“I did everything but guard people without having fouls called against me,” Henry said. “I can’t believe how many fouls Mr. Fowler called. I don’t think the Blazers committed half of them, either.”
Buzz slowed down. “Listen, that happens to the best of teams. You can’t predict what a ref is going to do. Sometimes the calls go your way. Sometimes they go the other way. I have to say, though, that I’ve never seen so many fouls called that I disagreed with.”
Everyone passed the lockers where the referees and coaches kept their things.
“Speaking of disagreeable, look at Mr. Fowler,” Henry whispered.
Frank Fowler stood in front of a locker. He was dumping his things into his bag. In went his whistle. In went his referee shoes. In went his striped hat. He finally picked up his bag and muttered to himself all the way out the door.
“Anybody looking at Frank Fowler would think he lost the game instead of refereed it. That’s pretty strange,” said Buzz.
“Well, Buzz,” Henry said, “the Blazers won the game fair and square thanks to your coaching. There’s nothing strange about that!” |