On the Buzzer

By Michael Panckridge

It's Round 6 and basketball is the next sport in the action-packed Legends series. But the competition takes a back seat when Sandhurst's sporting reputation is put on the line. The odds are against them. The stakes are high. Just how far will someone go to bring the team down? It's thrills and spills as the players hit the court. Wh

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ford Street Publishing
• Release date: Oct 3, 2018
• ISBN: 9781925804133

Michael Panckridge

Michael Panckridge has published over 20 books, including the bestselling Toby Jones cricket series and the new Legends of League series with Laurie Daley.  

Book preview

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Attending a conference called Getting Reluctant Readers Reading, Michael Panckridge skipped lunch to sit in the old commentary box at Victoria Park, where he was inspired to write stories for kids who were as keen on sports as he had been when growing up. Fifteen years on, Michael is the author of over 35 books, selling more than 250,000 copies. As well as sports books such as the Legends series, he also writes action-packed thrillers and suspenseful mysteries. When he’s not teaching or writing, Michael enjoys watching sport, reading, and running.

Also by Michael Panckridge

Chasing the Break

Down the Line

Against the Spin

Clearing the Pack

Over the Wall

The Toby Jones series

The League of Legends series

The Clued Up series

The Cursed

The Vanishings

The Immortal

The Book of Gabrielle

Be Bully Free

Big Bash League Cricket series

Thanks to Robyn and Tim and all the staff at Ford Street Publishing for their wonderful support and expertise as we work together to bring the Legends back to life – MP

Published by Ford Street Publishing, an imprint of

Hybrid Publishers, PO Box 52, Ormond VIC 3204

Melbourne Victoria Australia

© Michael Panckridge 2018

2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1

This publication is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the publisher. Requests and enquiries concerning reproduction should be addressed to

Ford Street Publishing Pty Ltd

162 Hoddle Street, Abbotsford, Vic 3067.

Ford Street website: www.fordstreetpublishing.com

First published in 2003 by BDB. This edition has been revised.

National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry

Creator: Panckridge, Michael, 1962- author.

Title: On the Buzzer / Michael Panckridge.

eISBN: 9781925804133

Target Audience: For primary school age.

Subjects: Sports--Juvenile fiction.

Children’s stories.

Cover design and interior illustrations: Marita Seaton ©

Interior design: Grant Gittus Graphics

Editors: Robyn Donoghue & Tim Harris

Printed in Australia by McPherson’s Printing Group

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1 Was it Jack?

Chapter 2 Mrs Cartwright

Chapter 3 Basketball Trials

Chapter 4 Escape!

Chapter 5 The Rat Returns

Chapter 6 Back to the Tunnel

Chapter 7 Trapped!

Chapter 8 The Build-up

Chapter 9 Lucky Bryce

Chapter 10 The Tournament Begins

Chapter 11 A Call for Mrs Morris

Chapter 12 The Crazy Finish

Chapter 13 On the Buzzer

Basketball Game Scores and Ladders

Legend of Basketball Results (Boys)

Legend of Basketball Results (Girls)

Legend of Sport Points Table - Boys

Legend of Sport Points Table - Girls

Basketball Quiz

Quiz Answers

Structure

Each sport has a teacher in charge. Generally, there have been three types of assessment, but not this time. There are just two. You can forget the skills session. Get it out of your mind. It’s the game that matters.

Practice

All participants in a Legend event will have the opportunity to practise on Wednesday afternoons from 1:00 pm till 5:00 pm. During this time, Legend participants will be able to use the library. Sports staff and sports venues will also be available on request. It is the responsibility of the student to book venues, equipment and other materials. Normal sports training will continue for all students on the appropriate afternoons.

The Legends Noticeboard

The noticeboard outside the gym should be constantly checked for updates. It is the student’s responsibility to do this. The Teacher in Charge for the Legends of Basketball is Mrs Cartwright.

There are three sports to go. Basketball is coming up, the last of the winter sports series. Sandhurst, the school Mitchell Grady attends, has won the inter-school trophies for football, netball and soccer. Winning the basketball will be a first for the school.

For Mitchell, becoming the Legend of Sport is going to be difficult. His arch rival and enemy, Travis Fisk, has gained two crucial points on him during the Legend of Soccer event, leaving them tied on eighteen points.

It’s looking like a tight race in the girls’ competition too as Luci strives to hold on to her lead over Becky and Mia.

Bryce and Bubba have entered the secret room in the library, where they have discovered a tunnel that connects Sandhurst with Ascot College.

Perhaps the most amazing thing of all, though, is that Mitchell’s best mate from the beginning of the year has switched schools. Jack Crossly is now a student boarding at Ascot College.

Plenty of other things have happened. Fisk and Mitchell had a little run-in with some of the Hoods players (tough, scary kids from a nearby school) one afternoon. Mitchell and Fisk escaped without retrieving Mitch’s soccer ball. Then, on the night of the Legend of Soccer presentations, a discovery was made. The football trophy had been stolen from the Sandhurst library. In its place was Mitchell’s soccer ball . . .

The day after the Legend of Soccer presentations, a Friday, was cold and wet. I slept in. Mum had gone to work, but she and Dad must have decided that a day away from school would be good for me. He had a rostered day off so that worked too.

I kept looking at my watch and wondering what all the kids at Sandhurst were up to.

At lunchtime I grabbed Dad’s phone and sent a text message to Bryce. I wanted him to know that I could