Even so, he twice broke through and made spectacular shots. At the end of the half the score stood 8 to 6, with the Purple Five leading by only one basket.
“We may take ’em yet,” Dan said grimly as he rested with his teammates. “Bear down, fellows.”
Baskets were held to a minimum in the third quarter. The players all were tiring. Mr. Hatfield took Chub out of the game for awhile, substituting Fred. When the Purple Five ran up two baskets in quick succession, he called him to the bench and let Chub go in again.
The Cubs truly were discouraged. With the score at 12 to 6 it seemed to them they were sunk.
“Come on, Cubs!” the rooters pleaded. “The old fight.”
Dan gritted his teeth and tried harder than ever. He leaped for a high one, and fastening upon the ball, ran full tilt into a Purple Five guard. He pivoted, faked a pass to Chub, and dropped the ball through the basket.
After that, playing as if inspired, he scored again. Once he tangled briefly with a Purple Five guard, and the referee called a personal foul on both players. The Purple Five player missed the free throw, while the Cubs again scored.
With less than a minute to play, the tally now was: 12 to 11 in favor of the Purple Five.
“One basket would do it,” Dan thought desperately. “If we don’t snag it, we’ll lose by a single point.”
How much time was left? A minute at best. Perhaps only seconds. Assured of victory, Pat and his teammates were playing a delaying game. Without trying to make another basket, they merely sought to prevent a Cub from getting his hands on the ball.