Basketball Sparkplug (5 page)

“Well, how does it feel to be in the play-offs?” he asked Kim.

“Good, Coach!” Kim grinned.

Kim’s father invited the coach into the living room. The coach did not take off his coat because he couldn’t stay long, he
said. But he stayed an hour. They just talked about basketball.

“When do we play?” Kim asked.

“I don’t know yet,” the coach said. “We’re having a meeting tomorrow night to decide. I’ll let you know.”

On Tuesday evening the coach telephoned. “Kim, be at the gym at one
o’clock, Saturday. We’re playing the Seals. The game starts at two, but we want everybody there early. Okay?”

“Okay!” said Kim.

Kim shook with excitement. He called up Jimmie Burdette and they talked for five minutes. Jimmie was as excited as he was.

When Kim hung up, his mother was standing beside him. She had a worried look on her face. Kim stared at her.

“What’s the matter, Mom?” he said.

She answered quietly. “Barbara Mae’s birthday party is Saturday afternoon.”

Kim’s heart went to pieces. He had forgotten about the party! He whirled before his mother could see the tears fill his eyes.

And then he had an idea.

He dried the tears and turned to his mother. “Mom, do you suppose Aunt Carol would change the time of the party to Saturday
morning if I asked her?”

His mother looked at him thoughtfully. “Well, it certainly won’t hurt to ask her!” She smiled. “Go ahead. Call her now.”

Kim went to the phone. Suddenly he was very scared. Suppose Aunt Carol had a very good reason not to change the time. What
then?

He looked at his mother. She smiled encouragingly.

“Go on,” she said. “Pick up the receiver.”

Kim picked it up. He dialed Aunt Carol’s number. He heard the phone ringing.

Soon a voice answered. “Hello?”

“Aunt Carol?”

“Oh, it’s you, Kim!” she cried. “How are you?”

“I’m fine,” Kim said. “Aunt Carol, our—our basketball team has to play Saturday afternoon. Can’t you change the party to Saturday
morning?”

“Well—I don’t know.” Aunt Carol seemed surprised. “Why, is it an important game, Kim?”

“It sure is, Aunt Carol. It’s our first game in the play-offs. And if we don’t win, we’re out.”

“Say! Never let it be said that your
Aunt Carol caused the Arrows to lose their first play-off game! Hang up, and I’ll start calling all the mothers right away!”

An hour later she called back. “Kim?”

“Yes, Aunt Carol?” he said excitedly.

“I got them all but Mrs. Wood,” she said. “I can call her tomorrow. They all say they can have their children here Saturday
morning. How do you feel now?”

“Much better, Aunt Carol! Thanks! Boy, you’re sure swell, Aunt Carol!”

There was a smile in Aunt Carol’s voice.

“The point is, Kim,” she said, “your Uncle Jim and I would like to see that game too!”

T
HE birthday party was a real success. Barbara Mae received many beautiful gifts. The girls and boys had a good time playing
Pin the Donkey’s Tail, Guess Who, and many other games. Everybody won prizes. And Kim sang.

He sang a few solos. The children joined in when he sang songs which they knew.

Then it was time to go to the gym. The Seals wore yellow jerseys, the Arrows blue. Kim was in the starting line-up. The Seals
caught the tap from
center and passed the ball back and forth upcourt toward their basket. Kim guarded his man every second. He seemed tied to
him.

A Seal player shot for the basket, and missed. Kim leaped high and caught the rebound. He tossed to Jimmie Burdette, who passed
to Ron. The ball moved fast down-court. A pass was thrown to Jimmie under the basket. Jimmie leaped for a layup.

Two points!

The Arrows sank two more before the Seals got going. In the second quarter Kim was taken out, and Dutchie McBride went in.
Dutchie scored three points, a layup and a foul shot. The Arrows led at the half, 28 to 19.

The second half started with Kim back in guard position. His man now was a redhead with freckles. The redhead kept bumping
Kim with his hip. Kim gave him a dirty look but said nothing.

Ron sank in a set shot. Then the Seals went crazy and piled up eight points. Ron committed a foul and the Seal player rang
up another point.

Score:
ARROWS
—30,
SEALS
—27.

Kim was getting angry. His man was still bumping him with his hip. Once he struck Kim with his elbow. Kim thought the redhead
did it on purpose, but he wasn’t sure.

“I have to make the referee see him bumping me,” thought Kim. “But how?”

The Seals were passing the ball up-court. In the backcourt the ball went wild, zoomed out of bounds. Kim took it out, bounced
to Ron Tikula. The Arrows whipped the ball back and forth till it was near their basket.

Then Jimmie whipped the ball to Kim. Kim feinted toward the basket, then broke around the redheaded Seal player. As he went
by, the redhead bumped him with his hip.

The whistle pierced the hall. Foul!

Kim stepped slowly to the free-throw line. He looked briefly at the redheaded player, saw a scowl on the boy’s freckled face.
Kim smiled to himself. The referee gave him the ball.

Kim took his time, and made the shot.

Both teams scored six more points before the third quarter ended.

Score:
ARROWS
—37,
SEALS
—33.

Kim didn’t start the fourth quarter. When there were three minutes left of the game, he replaced Dutchie.

The Seals were playing hard. But the Arrows kept up their pace. A foul on Kim helped the Seals gain another point.

And then all at once the whistle blew.

The first game of the play-offs was over, the Arrows winning, 46 to 43.

Now all they had to do was win one out of the next two games.

Kim knew it wouldn’t be easy.

C
OACH Stickles told the boys that the second game of the play-offs was scheduled for next Thursday night. If the Arrows won,
it was all over. The Arrows would be champs. If they lost, the last game would be played Saturday afternoon.

“Boy, I hope we win,” Dutchie said excitedly.

“Don’t worry,” said Ron. “We will!”

Then, on Monday evening, Mrs. Kelsey telephoned Kim.

“I just want to remind you of choir practice Thursday night, Kim,” she said.
“A week from next Sunday is Easter, remember.”

Kim stared. “Already?” His heart sank.

The second play-off game was on Thursday night. Couldn’t Mrs. Kelsey have practice some other night besides Thursday?

But Mrs. Kelsey was not a person to change a date once she had made plans for it.

Kim knew how much the choir meant to Mrs. Kelsey. He knew Mrs. Kelsey would want him very much to be there. But that wasn’t
all. His mother would want him to be there too.

“Are you still there, Kim?” Mrs. Kelsey asked.

Kim laughed. “Yes, I am, Mrs. Kelsey. Okay. I’ll be at the church Thursday night. Good night, Mrs. Kelsey.”

“Thank you. And good night, Kim.”

“Who was that?” asked Mrs. O’Connor after Kim had hung up.

“Mrs. Kelsey,” said Kim. “We’re having choir practice Thursday night.”

Mrs. O’Connor’s brows arched. “Isn’t that the night the Arrows are playing their second play-off game?”

“Yes, Mom,” said Kim.

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to practice.”

His mother’s face brightened. Her eyes filled with warmth. She ruffled Kim’s hair and smiled.

On Wednesday, after school, Kim
went to Coach Stickles’s house. He was scared. He felt sure the coach would not like it when he heard that Kim would not be
able to play in Thursday night’s game.

Mrs. Stickles opened the door. She was a small dark-haired woman with sparkling blue eyes.

“Hello, Kim!” she said.

“Is Coach Stickles in?” Kim asked nervously.

“Yes, he is. Come in.”

Coach Stickles was sitting in the living room. He smiled at Kim, got up, and shook Kim’s hand.

“This is a surprise, Kim,” he said. “Sit down. What’s on your mind?”

Kim sat down. He was so frightened
of what the coach might say that he held one hand tight in the other.

“I can’t play basketball Thursday night, Coach,” he said finally.

Coach Stickles frowned. “Why not, Kim?”

“I’ve got choir practice,” Kim replied. “It’s special for Easter Sunday. I’d a lot like to play in that game, Coach, but I
think I should be at that rehearsal. I—I thought I’d tell you.”

Kim looked up. He was squeezing his hand tighter than ever now.

The coach said nothing for a long while. He looked at Mrs. Stickles, and then at Kim. Suddenly a broad smile spread across
his face.

“Kim,” he said, “as much as I should
like to have you play, I’m glad you chose to practice with your choir.”

Kim’s eyes widened. “You—you mean you’re not mad?”

“Mad? Not at all, Kim. I know how much you’d like to play in that second play-off game. It takes a lot of, well—courage—to
make the decision you made. Matter of fact, I’m kind of proud of you for it.”

Kim’s eyes shone. He had never dreamed that the coach would say things like that!

“Thanks, Coach!” he said.

On Thursday night Kim went to choir rehearsal. Mrs. Kelsey and all the boys and girls were happy to see him. They
knew he had chosen to sing with them instead of playing basketball.

The moment Kim began to sing he became happy too. The voices around him were like the rays of the sun warming his heart. He
enjoyed the rehearsal so much he never minded at all that he had not played basketball that night.

The following day he found out that the Seals had won the game. They had beaten the Arrows 38 to 29.

Kim had only one good feeling about that. The Arrows and the Seals would tangle again Saturday, and he would be in the game.

T
HE last and important game was on Saturday. The Arrows met the Seals again on the same court. And what a crowd! The place
was jammed!

“Guess who I saw sitting in the stands?” Ron said to Kim.

“Who?” asked Kim.

“Mrs. Kelsey!”

Kim stared. “Mrs. Kelsey?” He turned to look, but among all the hundreds of faces he couldn’t spot hers. “I didn’t think she
cared for basketball,” he said curiously.

The game got off to a fast start. The Seals drew first blood, but the Arrows came right back and scored two baskets one after
the other. They were hot. By the end of the first quarter they had run their score up to 13, six ahead of the Seals.

The second quarter was a little different. The Arrows still kept the lead, but the half ended with the scoreboard showing
ARROWS
—23,
SEALS
—19.

The third quarter started with Jerry Jordan in place of Jimmie Burdette, and Dutchie McBride in place of Kim.

Before the quarter ended, the coach put Kim and Jimmie in. The game was getting closer every second. Both teams were playing
tight ball, throwing passes
carefully, taking shots only when they were near their basket.

By the middle of the fourth quarter the score was tied, 37 to 37.

Time was called. Coach Stickles walked out onto the court and talked with his boys.

“Don’t be nervous,” he said. “Just play the best you can. You’re doing fine. I’m proud of every one of you.”

He paused. “When there are only two minutes left to play, try some long shots. But still use two hands. And remember—win or
lose—you boys, are still my team. Good luck!”

He turned and walked off the court.

The boys looked at each other.

“There’s one great guy,” Jimmie said.

“I hate to let him down,” said Kim.

“If you practiced more with us, instead of with that choir,” broke in Ron Tikula, “maybe we wouldn’t have it so tough.”

“Cut it out,” snapped Jimmie. “This is no time to talk like that.”

Ron slapped Kim lightly on the leg. He laughed. “Oh, heck, I’m only kidding.”

The time-in whistle blew.

The Seals took out the ball. They passed it upcourt.

Ron leaped in and tried to take the ball away from a Seal guard. He was a little rough. He pushed the guard. The referee blew
his whistle.

Foul!

The Seal was allowed one shot. He took his time—made it.

The Seals went ahead, 38 to 37.

The Seals’ rooters cheered.

Kim looked at the clock. One and a half minutes to go!

All at once a song rose from the Arrows’ rooters’ side of the gym—a song from the throats of ten to fifteen boys and girls,
led by a woman whose high soprano voice Kim recognized immediately.

We came to see the Arrows win!

Arrows win! Arrows win!

We came to see the Arrows win,

And carry home the tro-phy!

Hip-hip! Hooray!

Hip-hip! Hooray!

Hip-hip! Hooray!