The third quarter started with Bayview trying to claw their way back into the game, and for the first two minutes, it actually looked like they might pull it off.
Darius brought the ball up and immediately swung it to Daren on the wing. No hero ball this time. Team basketball. Daren drove hard, drew the defense, and kicked it to Marcus in the corner. Marcus shot without hesitation.
Three-pointer. Good.
Riverside 71, Bayview 61.
"There we go!" Coach Anderson shouted from the sideline, clapping hard. "That's how we do it! Keep moving the ball!"
Jace brought it back up, and this time Bayview's defense was everywhere. Darius pressured at half court. Eli was positioned perfectly in the paint. Marcus and Daren were active on the wings, hands up, eyes sharp.
Jace drove left, but Darius stayed with him. He crossed back right, but Darius recovered. Finally, Jace kicked it to Terrell, but Daren was already there, contesting with perfect positioning.
Terrell's shot missed. Eli grabbed the rebound and immediately looked up court.
Bayview pushed in transition. Darius caught the outlet pass and attacked with speed. He got into the paint, drew DeAndre's help defense, and dropped a perfect bounce pass to Eli, who finished with a dunk.
Riverside 71, Bayview 63.
Eight-point game now. The Bayview bench was on their feet, the momentum shifting. In the stands, parents were getting louder, students were standing up, everyone sensing that this game wasn't over yet.
But then Jace decided he'd seen enough of Bayview's comeback attempt.
He brought the ball up slowly, letting his team get into position. No rush. No panic. Just calm, calculated basketball. He crossed half court and immediately called for an isolation. His teammates cleared out, giving him space to work.
Darius crouched low, his hands active, his eyes locked on Jace's midsection. He'd been studying this all week. He knew Jace's tendencies. Knew he loved to go right. Knew he favored the pull-up jumper over the drive when the defense was set.
Jace started his move. Dribble left, cross to the right, hesitation, then another cross back left. Darius stayed with him, his feet moving perfectly, his balance maintained. He was doing everything right.
Jace stopped suddenly at the three-point line and rose up. Darius jumped with him, his hand reaching toward the ball, contesting without fouling.
The shot went in anyway.
Riverside 74, Bayview 63.
Darius landed and looked at Jace, who was already jogging back with that same calm expression. Like making contested three-pointers over good defense was as natural as breathing.
"Keep your head up, D," Eli said as they ran back down court. "That's just good offense. Nothing you could do."
But Darius knew better. There was always something you could do. He just hadn't figured out what yet.
Bayview came back down and ran a beautiful set. Screen for Daren, drive and kick to Marcus, swing to Darius at the top. The defense was scrambling, trying to recover. Darius shot from three-point range.
Good.
Riverside 74, Bayview 66.
But Riverside had an answer. They always had an answer.
Jace brought it up and passed to Terrell on the right wing. Terrell immediately went to work, using his strong frame to back Daren down. One dribble, two dribbles, then a quick spin move that left Daren reaching at air. Terrell rose up and hit a fadeaway jumper from twelve feet.
Riverside 76, Bayview 66.
"Come on, Daren, you gotta stay lower on him!" Coach Anderson shouted. "Don't let him feel you!"
Daren nodded, frustration written all over his face. He'd played solid defense. Terrell was just making shots.
The game continued, and the pattern was becoming clearer with every possession. Bayview would make a play, cut the lead, create some hope. And then Riverside would respond with something even better.
Darius hit a floater in the paint. Riverside 76, Bayview 68. Then Isaiah came down and hit a three-pointer from the corner. Riverside 79, Bayview 68.
Eli scored on a post move. Riverside 79, Bayview 70. Then Brandon got an offensive rebound and put it back. Riverside 81, Bayview 70.
Marcus hit a mid-range jumper. Riverside 81, Bayview 72. Then Jace drove into the paint and somehow finished through contact from both Eli and Troy, drawing the foul in the process. He made the free throw. Riverside 84, Bayview 72.
It was like trying to bail water out of a sinking boat with a teaspoon. Every time Bayview made progress, Riverside made them pay for it twice over.
With four minutes left in the third quarter, Darius brought the ball up and could feel the exhaustion starting to settle into his legs. He'd been playing almost every minute, chasing Jace around screens, fighting through picks, giving maximum effort on both ends.
He drove into the paint, but his legs didn't have the same explosion they'd had in the first quarter. DeAndre stepped up and blocked his shot cleanly, the ball flying out of bounds.
Darius bent over, hands on his knees, breathing hard. Sweat dripped off his face and onto the hardwood.
"You good?" Daren asked, jogging over.
"Yeah," Darius said, but his voice lacked conviction. "I'm good."
Riverside inbounded the ball, and Jace went to work again. This time he came off a screen from Brandon and had just enough space to rise up for a three-pointer.
Swish.
Riverside 87, Bayview 72.
Fifteen-point game. The largest lead yet.
Coach Anderson called timeout.
The Bayview players walked to the bench, their shoulders slumped, their faces showing the toll of fighting an uphill battle for three straight quarters. Even Eli, who never showed emotion, looked tired.
"Listen to me," Coach Anderson said as they huddled up. "I know they're good. I know it feels like everything we do, they have an answer for. But we're not quitting. Not now. Not ever."
He looked around at his players. "Darius, you're playing your heart out, but you can't do this alone. Daren, same for you. Eli, we need you more active on defense. We're getting killed on the glass."
The players nodded, but there was something in their eyes that Coach Anderson recognized. It wasn't quitting. It was realization. The realization that they might be facing something they couldn't overcome.
The timeout ended. Both teams returned to the court.
Bayview tried everything. They pressed full court, but Jace broke it easily with his ball-handling. They tried zone defense, but Riverside's spacing was too good and their shooters too accurate. They ran their best sets, but Riverside's defense was disciplined and rarely made mistakes.
With one minute left in the third quarter, Darius drove hard into the paint one more time. He went up for a layup, but Jace came from behind and blocked it cleanly, the ball flying out of bounds.
Jace landed next to Darius, and for just a second, their eyes met. Jace wasn't showing off. Wasn't talking trash. He just looked at Darius with what might have been respect, like he was acknowledging the effort even though the result wasn't changing.
Bayview inbounded the ball, and Daren took a desperation three-pointer that missed. Brandon grabbed the rebound and immediately passed to Jace, who pushed the pace.
Jace crossed half court with Darius trailing, unable to catch up. Jace rose up from twenty-five feet with no one within five feet of him.
The ball was in the air as the third quarter buzzer sounded.
Swish.
Riverside 94, Bayview 76.
Eighteen-point game going into the fourth quarter.
The Riverside bench was going absolutely crazy, players jumping up and down, celebrating like they'd already won. And maybe they had. Maybe this game was already over and everyone in the building knew it except the scoreboard hadn't made it official yet.
Jace jogged to the bench, his stat line absolutely ridiculous. Thirty-six points on 14/19 shooting. Seven assists. Five rebounds. Two steals. Two blocks. He was doing everything, and making it look easy.
But it wasn't just him. Terrell had eighteen points. Isaiah had twelve. Brandon had eight points and ten rebounds. DeAndre had six points and eight rebounds. Every single player on Riverside's roster was contributing.
Meanwhile, Bayview's offense was carried almost entirely by three players. Darius had twenty-two points but was exhausted. Daren had sixteen but was frustrated. Eli had fourteen but was being worn down by constant double teams.
Coach Anderson stood at the bench, his mind racing through possibilities. What adjustment could he make? What play could he call? What defense could they run that would somehow slow down this machine?
He looked at his players as they walked to the bench for the quarter break. They were tired. Frustrated. Starting to lose hope.
But they weren't broken yet.
And that meant there was still a chance.
Even if that chance was getting smaller with every passing minute.
The fourth quarter was about to start, and everyone in the arena knew they were about to witness either the most improbable comeback in tournament history or the confirmation that Riverside Kings, led by Jace Carter, were exactly as good as everyone said they were.
Maybe even better.