Boxcar Children 68 - Basketball Mystery by Charles Tang, Gertrude Chandler Warner Page B

and Jessie and the other best players would play the whole game.”
    “Hush!” Tipper said. “Put that thought from your mind, Violet. I know what will make you feel better. Let’s do a quick workout in back. When you see how well you practice, your confidence will bounce right back. Come on now.”
    Out in back, Violet tried out everything Tipper had taught her. Tipper helped her guard and pass and dribble and shoot until she was playing smoothly.
    “You’re right,” Violet told Tipper when they finally stopped. “Now I know I can play against anyone, even the Blue Stars.”
    “Especially the Blue Stars,” Tipper said before she and Violet went inside.
    Jessie looked at the clock. “Only an hour and a half. What will we do until then?”
    “Let’s head over to the sports center to pick up our uniforms and basketball sneakers,” Tipper suggested. “We have to take our things over to the Greenfield High gym before our game there.”
    “Good idea,” Jessie said. “I’m too fidgety to stay home.”
    On the way over, Tipper helped the girls relax with some quiet music. “It’s important to work yourselves hard, but it’s also good to get your mind calm before a big game. That’s what I always do.”
    But that wasn’t what Courtney Post did with the Blue Stars. When Tipper and the Aldens walked into the sports center, Courtney was supervising some last-minute practice with two of her players. “Harder! Dribble it harder!” she yelled. “You don’t want everybody to think you’re the Blue Marshmallows, do you? Don’t be afraid to look a little mean. It throws everybody off guard.”
    “They look scary,” Violet whispered, starting to lose a little of her confidence.
    “No, not scary, miserable ,” Jessie said.
    Courtney noticed Tipper and the Aldens standing there.
    “The office is unlocked,” Courtney shouted at Tipper. “I sent my team’s things over to the Greenfield High School gym with Frank. He’s going to be the referee. We’re leaving for the high school in a minute. Make sure you get your players there on time, too. You don’t want to forfeit the game!”
    “Ugh!” Tipper said with a groan after Courtney left. “Now, why did Courtney have to go and say that? I’m totally confident about everybody’s playing. What I don’t like much is getting everything ready — the equipment, the paperwork, the scoring sheets. I wish the sports center was ready so we could play the game here.”
    Violet patted Tipper’s arm. “Don’t worry. Jessie can help. She’s always super-organized. She even lines up her slippers in one direction next to her bed every night.”
    Jessie laughed. “I thought everyone did that!”
    The girls followed Tipper into the office. The room was still a little messy, with construction equipment cluttering up the small area.
    “Can you get both duffel bags from the closet?” Tipper asked Jessie and Violet. “The uniforms and sneakers are in the bags. Oh, and grab a couple basketballs, just in case. You never know. I’ll get the stopwatch and the papers we need for the game.”
    Jessie opened the closet door. “Did you mean this closet, Tipper?” she said. “There are only a couple of ladders and a bunch of paint cans in here.”
    Tipper came over. “Oh, no! The duffel bags were right here when we finished practice last night. I even put a name tag on each of them so no one would take them by mistake. I didn’t want the team bags to get mixed up with anybody else’s things.”
    “We’ll go find Tom or Courtney,” Jessie told Tipper.
    “Tom? Tom?” Jessie called out. But the only answer she heard was the sound of her own voice echoing back.
    Violet ran to the lobby. She looked out the front doors. “Oh, no, Courtney just left.”
    Tipper and the Aldens were alone in the empty building.
    “What should we do?” Jessie asked.
    Tipper checked her watch. “Let’s split up and check every unlocked room and closet in this building. Maybe the painters