tried to swat away the shot but he missed by inches As Ben watched the ball sail toward the hoop the buzzer echoed across the gym The crowd held its collective breath The ball hit the front of the rim bounced high ricocheted off the backboard rattled around the rim and then dropped right through the hoop Yes Ben pumped a fist in the air as the other Grizzlies swarmed around him The crowd jumped from their seats and went wild Ben smiled wide as he took it all in He'd done it He'd won the game
CHAPTER 2 EXCITING NEWS The following afternoon as practice was about to start the Grizzlies were still riding high on their exciting last second win Some of the players stood in a circle and passed a ball to one another while chatting about Ben's game winning shot A few were running sprints back and forth across the gym their feet slapping and squeaking against the wood floor Ben and Logan were among some players practicing free throws Coach Horton was still in the locker room
Hey guys Check it out Ty walked into the gym waving wildly with one arm Ty held his phone out in front of him Players huddled around him as he said My buddy Jace sent this to me Ben walked up and stood in the back of the crowd He craned his neck to see the phone's small screen A shaky video began to play It was footage from the game Jace's voice could be heard saying Oh man this is intense Grizzlies down by two On the court the Gladiator player was missing his second free throw Okay here it is Ty said The ball was passed down the court was deflected and landed in Ben's hands He took a step and shot it at the last second
Whoooooaaaa Jace said as the buzzer sounded and the shot went in I can't believe he hit that Grizzlies win The Grizzlies players echoed Jace's excitement as Ty replayed the video They watched it again Then again And then one more time Ben Mason for the win one of the team's forwards a kid named Wesley Trask said He punched Ben lightly on the shoulder Ben grinned and puffed his chest out a little more than usual What's the big hubbub Coach Horton's voice filled the whole gym He was a short man with broad shoulders and a muscular physique He was the exact opposite of his older brother Sal who owned the used sporting goods store that Ben and his friends often visited Sal was a towering man with a graying beard and a barrel chest 13
