The fourth quarter started with Bayview down eighteen points, and for the first minute, it looked like the game was going to end exactly how everyone expected. Jace hit a fadeaway jumper. Riverside 96, Bayview 76. Twenty-point game. The crowd was already starting to filter toward the exits, parents gathering their things, deciding to beat the traffic.
But Darius didn't see them leaving. He didn't see the scoreboard or the time or the insurmountable deficit. All he saw was the ball in his hands and one more quarter to make something happen.
He brought it up slowly this time, his mind working differently than it had all game. No more forcing. No more trying to prove something to Jace or anyone else. Just basketball. Smart basketball.
The Hustle System activated, text appearing in his peripheral vision.
STRATEGIC ANALYSIS AVAILABLE
Current situation: 20-point deficit, 10:00 remaining
Recommended approach: Hybrid offense - utilize teammates to create spacing, then exploit defensive gaps when they appear. Primary target: Terrell Hayes defending Daren. Secondary target: DeAndre's weak-side help defense positioning.
Darius crossed half court and immediately called for a screen from Eli. When it came, he used it not to attack but to create space for a pass. He hit Daren on the wing, and Daren immediately drove hard baseline.
Terrell recovered well, but Daren had drawn help from DeAndre. Daren kicked it back to Eli at the top of the key. Eli caught it and shot without hesitation.
Good.
Riverside 96, Bayview 78.
"That's it!" Coach Anderson shouted from the sideline. "Keep moving it! Make them work!"
Jace brought it back up, and Darius picked him up at half court with renewed energy. Not desperate energy. Focused energy. He pressured hard, forcing Jace to his left, into the direction the Hustle System had identified as his slightly weaker side.
Jace tried to cross back right, but Darius stayed in front. Finally, Jace kicked it to Isaiah at the top. Isaiah shot quickly, not fully set.
Miss.
Marcus grabbed the rebound and immediately looked up court. Darius was already running. The outlet pass came perfect, and Darius caught it in stride at half court.
Jace was chasing him, but Darius had the angle. He drove hard toward the rim, and when DeAndre stepped up to contest, Darius didn't force it. He dropped a perfect pass to Eli trailing the play.
Eli caught it and finished with a dunk.
Riverside 96, Bayview 80.
Sixteen-point game. Still a massive deficit, but something had shifted in the air. The fans who'd been heading toward the exits stopped. The ones still in their seats leaned forward.
Jace came back down and went into an isolation. He dribbled at the top, reading Darius's positioning. Darius was playing him differently now. Not trying to force steals or go for highlight plays. Just staying solid, staying between Jace and the basket, making everything difficult.
Jace drove right, but Darius was there. He crossed back left, but Darius recovered. Finally, Jace pulled up from three-point range.
The shot was good, but it was contested. Harder than most of his shots had been all game.
Riverside 99, Bayview 80.
Darius brought it back up, and this time the Hustle System highlighted something new.
PATTERN DETECTED: Terrell Hayes closing out late on skip passes to Daren. Exploit this.
Darius drove hard into the paint, drawing the defense. When DeAndre stepped up, Darius kicked it to Marcus on the left wing. Marcus immediately swung it to Daren on the right side.
Terrell was still recovering from helping on the initial drive. Daren caught it with space, rose up, and shot.
Three-pointer. Good.
Riverside 99, Bayview 83.
"Let's go!" Daren screamed, sprinting back on defense. "We're not done yet!"
The Bayview bench was on their feet now, sensing something. The crowd noise was rising. Even the fans who'd stopped leaving were turning back to watch.
Jace brought it up and passed to Terrell, trying to get him involved and stop Bayview's momentum. Terrell drove on Daren, but this time when he tried his signature spin move, Daren was ready. He stayed with him, forcing a tough fadeaway that missed.
Eli grabbed the rebound and fired it to Darius, who pushed the pace again. This time Riverside was back and set, but Darius didn't force it. He ran a pick and roll with Eli, and when Jace and DeAndre hedged hard, Darius dropped the ball off to Eli rolling to the rim.
Eli caught it and finished through contact from Brandon. And one. He made the free throw.
Riverside 99, Bayview 86.
Thirteen-point game. Seven minutes left.
Coach Anderson was pacing now, his voice cutting through the gym. "Keep the pressure up! They're not comfortable anymore!"
Jace could feel it too. The game that had felt controlled and comfortable was starting to slip into something more chaotic. He brought the ball up and immediately went to work, trying to settle his team with a bucket.
He drove hard on Darius, getting into the paint with his signature first step. But Darius had been studying this move all week, and he stayed attached. When Jace rose up for a floater, Darius was right there, contesting without fouling.
The shot missed.
Marcus grabbed the rebound.
Bayview pushed again. Darius brought it up and immediately swung it to Daren, who drove and kicked to Marcus in the corner. Marcus shot the three.
Swish.
Riverside 99, Bayview 89.
Ten-point game. Six and a half minutes left.
The Riverside bench wasn't celebrating anymore. Their coach was on his feet, calling out defensive assignments, trying to stem the tide. Jace's teammates were looking at each other with something that might have been concern.
This wasn't supposed to be happening.
Jace brought the ball up, his face still calm but his movements sharper now. More urgent. He called for an isolation, waving his teammates to clear out. This was his time. His moment to put the game away.
He went at Darius one-on-one, using every move in his arsenal. Crossover, between the legs, hesitation, step-back. Darius stayed with him through all of it, his footwork perfect, his hands active but not reaching.
Finally, Jace rose up for a three-pointer from twenty-five feet.
Darius jumped with him, his hand reaching toward the ball.
The shot rattled around the rim once, twice, and fell out.
Eli grabbed the rebound.
For the first time all game, Jace showed emotion. His jaw clenched. His eyes narrowed. He looked at Darius with something new. Not amusement. Not superiority. Recognition.
Darius was a problem. A real problem.
Bayview came down and Darius called for everyone to spread out. He dribbled at the top, looking at Jace, feeling everything click into place. The weeks of training. The defensive drills. The film study. All of it crystallizing in this moment.
He drove hard right, and when Jace stayed with him, Darius crossed back left and accelerated past him. DeAndre stepped up, and Darius jumped, hanging in the air, adjusting his release to avoid the contest.
The floater kissed off the glass and dropped through.
Riverside 99, Bayview 91.
Eight-point game. Six minutes left.
The arena was absolutely electric now. Nobody was leaving. Everyone was on their feet. The impossible comeback wasn't impossible anymore. It was happening.
Jace brought it up, and for the first time all game, he looked like he was forcing it. He drove into the paint, but Eli was there, contesting without fouling. Jace tried to kick it out, but Darius jumped the passing lane and deflected it.
Marcus grabbed the loose ball and immediately passed to Darius, who was already sprinting toward the other end.
Jace was chasing him again, but Darius had the angle. He drove hard toward the basket, and when Jace caught up, Darius didn't avoid the contact this time. He went up strong, absorbed the bump, and finished through it.
And one. The whistle blew.
Darius landed and pointed at the free-throw line, his face showing pure intensity. No celebration. Just focus. Just determination.
He made the free throw.
Riverside 99, Bayview 94.
Five-point game. Five and a half minutes left.
Jace caught the inbound pass, and when he looked at Darius across the court, something had fundamentally changed between them. This wasn't a star toying with a lesser player anymore. This was a battle between equals, and Jace knew it.
The game was far from over.
And Darius Kingsley, the player Jace hadn't bothered learning the name of, was about to make sure Jace never forgot it.