Third Quarter: Lincoln Heights First String 68, Riverside Tech 52
Khalil sat on the bench with a towel draped over his shoulders, sweat running down his face in streams that traced the contours of his jaw before dripping onto his practice jersey. His chest rose and fell with the kind of deep, controlled breathing that came from sustained physical exertion. But his eyes weren't tired. They were sharp, focused, tracking every movement on the court in front of him.
The first string was holding their own without him, maintaining the sixteen-point lead he'd helped build before Coach Martinez had subbed him out two minutes ago. But Khalil wasn't watching the game passively. He was studying it. Calculating. Envisioning.
When I get back in, their big man is tired. He's been banging with our center all quarter. That means if I catch it on the left block, he won't have the energy to fight for position. I can back him down, two dribbles, spin baseline, finish with the right hand.
His internal simulation continued, playing out scenarios before they happened, preparing his body for the movements his mind was already executing.
And their point guard keeps going under screens. Every single time. So if I flash to the high post and they run that screen action, I'll have the mid-range wide open. Work on that shot. Make them respect it.
"Yo, big man!"
The voice broke through his visualization. Khalil looked up to see Terrell Jackson, one of the senior guards on first string, walking toward him during the dead ball. Terrell extended his fist, and Khalil dapped him up.
"You've been cooking out there, bro," Terrell said, grinning. "Twenty-two points already and we're not even done with the third quarter. Keep doing your thing."
"Appreciate it," Khalil said, his voice carrying that quiet confidence that didn't need volume to convey certainty.
Terrell jogged back onto the court as play resumed, and Khalil went back to his mental preparation. This was just a friendly against Riverside Tech, a solid B-tier school that occasionally made noise in the district tournament. Not Elite Eight caliber, but respectable. Good enough to test yourself against. Good enough to work on things.
Coach Martinez's voice cut through his thoughts. "Khalil! You're back in. Sub for Davis at the next whistle."
Khalil stood immediately, ripping off his warmup and moving to the scorer's table. His legs felt fresh despite the twenty minutes he'd already played. His arms felt strong. His mind felt clear.
The whistle blew. Khalil checked in, jogging onto the court to scattered applause from the small crowd that had shown up for the weekday afternoon friendly.
Time Remaining: 5:00
Riverside Tech had possession, their point guard bringing the ball up carefully. They were down sixteen but hadn't quit. B-tier schools didn't quit easily. That's how they survived in a district dominated by the Elite Eight.
Their offense ran a set, the ball swinging from wing to wing, looking for an opening. Khalil positioned himself on the weak side, reading the play, anticipating where the help defense would need to come from.
Their shooting guard drove baseline. Khalil rotated over from the opposite block, his long arms reaching toward the ball. The guard tried to finish anyway, forcing a shot over Khalil's contest.
Miss.
Khalil grabbed the rebound with both hands, his seventh of the game, and immediately looked up court. Terrell was already running. Khalil fired an outlet pass that hit him in stride at half court.
Terrell took it all the way for a layup.
Lincoln Heights 70, Riverside Tech 52.
Time Remaining: 4:37
Eighteen-point game now. The lead was comfortable but not insurmountable. Khalil jogged back on defense, his mind still working through his internal checklist.
Riverside Tech's big man set up on the left block, exactly where Khalil had predicted he'd be tired. Their point guard tried to feed him the entry pass, but Khalil read it, stepping into the passing lane and deflecting it with his fingertips.
Marcus Thompson, the senior forward who'd forced his way onto first string as a freshman four years ago, grabbed the loose ball and immediately passed to Terrell at the top of the key.
Terrell drove hard into the paint, drawing two defenders, then kicked it to Khalil who had flashed to the high post exactly where he'd envisioned being.
The ball came to him clean. His defender was a step behind, recovering from helping on Terrell's drive. Khalil caught it, squared his shoulders, and rose up for the mid-range jumper from fifteen feet.
The shot was good. Not perfect rotation, but good enough. The ball kissed the front of the rim and fell through.
Lincoln Heights 72, Riverside Tech 52.
Time Remaining: 4:11
On the sideline, Coach Martinez nodded, his arms crossed over his chest. He turned slightly to Coach Williams beside him.
"Choosing Khalil was always going to be the right decision," Martinez said, his voice low enough that only his assistant could hear. "Between him and Kingsley? Khalil was the pick. No question."
Williams nodded, watching as Khalil sprinted back on defense with that effortless athleticism that made everything look easy. "The kid's special. Size, skill, motor. He's got everything."
Riverside Tech brought the ball back down, trying to stop the bleeding. Their offense ran another set, but Lincoln Heights' defense was locked in now. The Elite Eight didn't let B-tier teams back into games once they had control.
Their center tried to post up Khalil on the right block. Bad decision. Khalil fronted him, denying the entry pass, his length making it impossible for the point guard to find an angle. After three seconds of struggling, Riverside Tech was forced to reset their offense.
The shot clock wound down. Ten seconds. Eight seconds. Finally, their shooting guard forced a contested three-pointer that clanged off the rim.
Khalil secured the rebound, his eighth, and immediately pushed the pace himself. He wasn't the primary ball-handler, wasn't trying to be a point guard. But he could move the ball up court when the opportunity presented itself.
He crossed half court with his dribble, his handle tighter than it had been at the start of the season. He'd been working on it. Working on everything.
Once I get the shooting consistent, I'll work on playmaking more. Vision. Passing angles. Reading defenses like a guard does. But one thing at a time.
He drove toward the basket, drawing Riverside Tech's defense toward him like gravity. Their big man stepped up to contest. Their point guard rotated over. Both defenders committed to stopping Khalil from scoring.
Khalil jumped, his body rising above both defenders, but instead of forcing a shot through traffic, he kicked it out to Marcus Thompson in the corner.
Marcus caught it and shot without hesitation. Three-pointer. Good.
Lincoln Heights 75, Riverside Tech 52.
Time Remaining: 3:44
Twenty-three-point game. This was becoming a blowout.
Khalil jogged back, and as he passed Marcus, the senior pointed at him. "Good pass, young fella. Keep seeing the floor like that."
Khalil nodded. The playmaking wasn't natural yet, not like it was for pure point guards. But it was developing. Everything was developing.
Riverside Tech's coach called timeout, his face showing frustration. His team had come into this friendly hoping to compete with an Elite Eight school, hoping to prove they belonged in the same conversation. Instead, they were getting systematically dismantled.
In the Lincoln Heights huddle, Coach Martinez pulled his starters close. "Keep the pressure up. They're breaking. But don't get sloppy. Finish quarters strong. That's what championship teams do."
The timeout ended. Both teams returned to the court.
Time Remaining: 3:30
Riverside Tech came out of the timeout with renewed energy, their pride demanding they at least make this respectable. Their point guard attacked aggressively, getting into the paint and finishing a tough layup through contact.
Lincoln Heights 75, Riverside Tech 54.
But Khalil answered immediately. He caught the ball on the left block, exactly where he'd envisioned during his time on the bench. His defender was tired, just like he'd predicted. Khalil backed him down with two powerful dribbles, each one pushing the defender closer to the basket.
The defender tried to hold his ground, but Khalil had forty pounds on him and knew how to use every bit of it. He spun baseline, exactly as he'd visualized, and rose up with his right hand.
The shot went in clean.
Lincoln Heights 77, Riverside Tech 54.
Time Remaining: 3:03
Khalil's point total: 26.
Riverside Tech tried to respond, running a set that got their shooting guard an open look from three-point range. The shot went in.
Lincoln Heights 77, Riverside Tech 57.
But then Khalil went to work on the other end. He posted up again, this time on the right block. The ball came to him, and instead of backing his defender down, he face-up and drove past him with one hard dribble to the middle.
Riverside Tech's help defense collapsed. Their center stepped up to contest. Khalil went up anyway, absorbing the contact, finishing through it with a reverse layup that somehow found the glass at the perfect angle.
The whistle blew. And one.
Lincoln Heights 79, Riverside Tech 57.
Khalil stepped to the free-throw line, his breathing controlled despite the physical toll of playing in the paint all game. The ball felt good in his hands. His routine was automatic now. Bounce once. Spin it. Shoot.
The free throw went in.
Lincoln Heights 80, Riverside Tech 57.
Time Remaining: 2:35
Twenty-nine points for Khalil. On pace for another forty-point performance.
The game continued in that rhythm. Riverside Tech would score, showing flashes of why they were a respectable B-tier school. Then Khalil would answer, demonstrating why Lincoln Heights was Elite Eight.
With one minute thirty seconds left in the quarter, Khalil flashed to the high post again. The ball found him, and this time when he rose up for the mid-range jumper, his form felt better. Smoother. More natural.
The shot went in.
Lincoln Heights 86, Riverside Tech 61.
Time Remaining: 1:18
Thirty-one points. Nine rebounds. Two blocks. One assist.
The playmaking will come, Khalil thought as he jogged back on defense. Once the shooting is automatic, once I don't have to think about my form anymore, then I can focus more on reading defenses, finding cutters, making plays for others. But right now? Right now I'm still building.
Riverside Tech scored on a quick possession, hitting a three-pointer to stem the tide momentarily.
Lincoln Heights 86, Riverside Tech 64.
Khalil brought the ball up himself after the inbound, his handle confident enough now to navigate half court without pressure. He crossed into the frontcourt and immediately looked for Terrell on the right wing.
But Riverside Tech's defense had adjusted, denying the pass. Khalil reset, dribbling at the top of the key, reading the floor.
Marcus Thompson set a screen for him. Khalil used it, turning the corner into the paint. Two defenders converged. Khalil jumped and kicked the ball out to Marcus, who had popped after setting the screen.
Marcus caught it and hit the mid-range jumper.
Lincoln Heights 88, Riverside Tech 64.
Time Remaining: 0:44
Second assist of the game for Khalil. Small progress, but progress.
Riverside Tech ran one more possession, their pride demanding they at least try until the buzzer. Their center posted up and scored on a hook shot over Khalil's contest. Good move. Skilled player. Just not Elite Eight caliber.
Lincoln Heights 88, Riverside Tech 66.
Khalil brought it back up one more time, the clock winding down toward the end of the quarter. He crossed half court with twenty seconds remaining and held the ball, letting time drain.
At ten seconds, he attacked. One hard dribble into the paint, drawing the defense, then a spin move that created just enough space for a floater from eight feet.
The ball hung in the air as the buzzer sounded.
It dropped through the net.
End of Third Quarter: Lincoln Heights 90, Riverside Tech 66
Khalil's statline: 33 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 assists.
As both teams walked to their benches for the quarter break, Coach Martinez met Khalil with a towel and a water bottle. "That's what I want to see. Dominating both ends. Keep it up in the fourth, then we'll rest you for the second half of the game."
Khalil nodded, his face showing no emotion despite the dominant performance. This was just work. Just building. Just getting better one game at a time.
He sat down on the bench and looked up at the scoreboard. Twenty-four point lead. The game was essentially over. But there was still one more quarter of work to do. One more quarter to refine his shooting. To practice his playmaking. To continue the development that would eventually make him unstoppable.
Across the gym, in the stands where some students had gathered to watch, someone pulled out their phone and started recording. Khalil didn't notice. He was already thinking about the fourth quarter, already visualizing the next five minutes of game time, already preparing his body for movements his mind had practiced a thousand times.
This was what Elite Eight basketball looked like. This was why Lincoln Heights dominated. And this was why, between him and Darius Kingsley, Coach Martinez had made the right choice.