The gym's air felt heavier than the polished hardwood beneath their sneakers—humid, pressing, alive with expectation. Every shuffle, every creak of the backboard echoed like a warning.
The referee stepped into the center circle, whistle hanging between his lips. Brandon Young and Piedmont's Brandon "Brick" Thompson strode forward, towering over everyone else, their shadows cutting long, dark lines across the floor.
The whistle cut the air sharp, absolute.
The ball went up.
Ethan's mind locked in. (Timing… don't meet him in the air, Brandon. Let him reach first—now!)
Brandon Young followed the signal in Ethan's eyes, delaying his jump by a half-second. His arm shot up, meeting the ball clean and redirecting it toward Evan Cooper in a perfect swat.
Evan caught it in stride, voice already steady. "We've got possession, let's set up."
