Laggan Lard Butts

Laggan Lard Butts by Eric Walters Read Free Book Online Page B

Book: Laggan Lard Butts by Eric Walters Read Free Book Online
Authors: Eric Walters
Tags: JUV000000
what would you do if a forward kept coming into your crease when you’re in net?”
    Cody smiled. “I’d take my goalie stick and give him a good whack on the back of his legs, cut him down like firewood.”
    â€œOkay,” I said, slowly shaking my head. I made a mental note to never go into the crease when he was playing net. “Maybe thatwon’t work here, but try to push him around a little anyway.”
    â€œI’ll do my best.”
    â€œAnd don’t forget that we’re not going to get the tip. Forwards, you have to jump into the spots you think their center is going to direct the ball to. Guards, you drop back to defend. Okay, let’s break and—”
    â€œBefore we do that I just want to say something,” Mr. Davidson said. “I know I don’t know much about basketball, but I do know about kids. I have been so honored to be able to—”
    â€œHold on there, Coach,” Tanner said, cutting him off. “You can’t give that speech until the last game of the season. Maybe this won’t be our last game.”
    â€œPossibly it is.”
    â€œPossibly it isn’t. Remember we haven’t lost one single game since we started to use the new cheer. Some people believe in miracles,” he said, winking at me. “Other people believe in luck. Everybody put your hands in.”
    We formed a pile.
    â€œOn three, Go, Lard Butts. One, two, three.”
    We screamed our cheer and then five of us trotted toward center court and—what was going on here? Their center wasn’t on the court. I looked over at their bench. He was sitting at the end, his head in his hands. On the bench beside him were the usual starting point guard and one of their forwards. They were starting their subs! They thought so little of us that they thought they could beat us with their second stringers!
    I felt myself start to get red. I felt the anger building up inside and—no, I wasn’t going to let it make me crazy.
    â€œWait!” I yelled out. “Everybody here!” The four other starters gathered around me.
    â€œI want a full-court press with man to man defense. Cody, you go up for the tip. Smash the ball as hard as you can toward their basket. I’ll go and get it. Now break.”
    We tapped hands with each of their players. A little courtesy before the game was always nice, even when you didn’t feel any.
    Cody lined up beside their center. Cody was a shade taller and thicker. He wouldn’t be able to jump as high as their center, but he might be able to overpower him. The ref tossed the ball up, and I turned and ran for their net. The ball soared over my head and past me! I raced after it, grabbing it before it bounced out of bounds. I turned around just in time to see Taylor streaking toward the net. I fired in a pass. He put it up and scored! We had the lead. It might be our only lead of the game but we’d scored first.
    â€œPress! Press! Press!” I screamed.
    Everybody locked on his man. The ball was passed in, bounced off the fingertips of one of their players and right to Tanner. He dribbled in, uncovered, and put up our second basket!
    â€œPress!” I yelled.
    The pass came in, and Taylor and Cody trapped the ball carrier in the corner. He made a wild pass. I grabbed it, stopped, turned and fired up an equally wild three-point shot. It dropped! We were up seven to nothing!
    I looked over at their bench to give them a smirk. Their centre got to his feet. I thought that was the end of our winning streak; he was coming in. He walked over to the score table—no
past
the score table. He walked over to the far corner of the gym, bent over and threw up in the big plastic garbage can!
    â€œSam, do we keep on the press?” Taylor asked.
    I was startled out of my thoughts. “Yeah, keep pressing, keep pressing!”
    By the time the game was half over, it was really over. The players on their team, who

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