The timeout did nothing.
Bayview came back out and immediately got cooked again. Julian Hayes ran a pick-and-roll with Derek Grant, and when Kenny went under the screen, Julian pulled up for an easy mid-range jumper. Wet.
Striders 10, Bayview 0.
Coach Anderson's jaw clenched so hard his temples pulsed. He stood up from the bench, hands on his hips, watching his defense fall apart like wet paper.
"They're not communicating!" he barked toward George. "Every screen, they're getting caught. Every cut, they're late."
George nodded, arms still crossed. "The system's breaking them down. They've never seen this before."
On the next possession, Bayview finally scored. Marcus drove baseline and somehow squeezed in a reverse layup through traffic. But it felt like luck more than execution.
Striders 10, Bayview 2.
Then the Striders came right back. Cameron Wells made a baseline cut, caught a perfect pass from Mason Lee, and laid it in before Troy could rotate.
Striders 12, Bayview 2.
Coach Anderson had seen enough.
"Darius!" he called out, voice cutting through the gym noise like a knife.
Darius's head snapped up. His heart kicked into another gear.
"Get in for Kenny. You're running point."
Darius ripped off his warmup jacket and jogged to the scorer's table. Malik watched him go, face unreadable.
As Darius checked in, the Hustle System flickered to life in his peripheral vision, text scrolling clean and sharp across his mind.
GAME OBJECTIVES ACTIVATED
Primary Goals:
Record 4 assists Force 3 turnovers or deflections Score 6 points Shoot 50% or better from the field
Bonus Objective:
Limit opposing point guard to under 40% shooting while on court
XP Potential: HighPerformance Grade: Real-Time Tracking Enabled
Darius took a breath and stepped onto the court.
The whistle blew. Kenny jogged off, frustrated, slapping Darius's hand as they passed. Daren slid over to shooting guard. Darius took his spot at the point.
"Let's go, D!" Daren called out, clapping once. "We need a spark!"
Darius nodded, eyes already scanning the Striders' defensive setup.
Julian Hayes picked him up at half court, crouched low, hands active. Not pressing, just present. Patient.
Darius dribbled once with his right hand, then crossed to his left, testing Julian's balance. Julian didn't bite. Didn't reach. Just mirrored him.
He's disciplined, Darius thought. Not gambling. Waiting for me to force something.
Darius called for a screen. Eli rolled up and set a solid pick on Julian. Darius used it, attacking the middle of the floor.
Derek Grant stepped up to meet him, hands raised, cutting off the drive.
But Darius wasn't attacking Derek. He was reading the defense.
Cameron Wells had rotated toward Daren on the wing. Andre Simpson was shading toward Eli rolling to the rim. Mason Lee was glued to Marcus in the corner.
The weak side was open.
Darius whipped a pass across the court to Troy, who was wide open on the left block. Troy caught it, turned, and scored with a simple hook shot.
Striders 12, Bayview 4.
OBJECTIVE PROGRESS: 1/4 Assists
"There we go!" Daren shouted, running back on defense. "That's what I'm talking about!"
Julian brought the ball up for the Striders, calm as ever. He dribbled at the top, waiting for his team to get into their spacing. Darius stayed on his hip, not reaching, just staying close.
Julian passed to Cameron on the right wing. Cameron swung it to Mason on the left. Mason drove baseline.
But Darius had already rotated, reading the cut before it happened. He slid into the passing lane just as Mason tried to kick it back out to Julian.
The ball deflected off Darius's fingertips and bounced out of bounds.
Bayview ball.
OBJECTIVE PROGRESS: 1/3 Turnovers/Deflections
"Nice read, D!" Eli called out from the paint.
Across the court, the Striders' coach stood on the sideline, arms crossed, watching with the calm confidence of someone who'd seen this before. He was older, gray hair cropped short, wearing a polo tucked into khakis. His name was Coach Sullivan, and he'd built his entire program around one philosophy: the system was stronger than any individual.
"Stay disciplined!" he called out to his players. "They're going to make plays. That's fine. Trust the system."
His assistants nodded beside him. They'd won games like this before. Opponents would make adjustments, get a spark, score a few buckets. But over four quarters, the system always won. Always.
Darius inbounded to Daren, who brought it up and immediately swung it to Darius at the top of the key. Julian closed out, hand up, forcing Darius to make a decision.
Darius faked a drive, then stepped back behind the three-point line. Julian recovered, but not quite fast enough.
Darius rose and shot in one smooth motion.
The ball arced high, spinning perfect, and dropped through the net without touching the rim.
Striders 12, Bayview 7.
OBJECTIVE PROGRESS: 3/6 Points | Shooting: 1/1 (100%)
The Bayview bench erupted. Malik jumped up, clapping hard. Coach Anderson nodded, arms still crossed, but there was a flicker of approval in his eyes.
"That's it! That's the energy!" Daren shouted, sprinting back on defense.
Julian brought the ball back up, unbothered. The Striders ran another set. Pass to Cameron, swing to Mason, drive and kick to Andre, who found Derek cutting to the rim.
Derek caught it and went up strong.
But Eli was there, meeting him at the summit, contesting with both hands. The shot clanged off the rim.
Darius grabbed the rebound and immediately pushed.
He crossed half court with Julian trailing, reading the floor in real time. Daren filled the right wing. Marcus sprinted up the left. Eli and Troy trailed behind.
Julian stayed in front of Darius, not committing, waiting for help.
Cameron Wells rotated over toward Daren. Mason Lee shaded toward Marcus.
Darius drove right, forcing Julian to backpedal. Then he whipped a no-look pass to Eli trailing in the middle.
Eli caught it in stride and finished with a powerful two-handed dunk.
Striders 12, Bayview 9.
OBJECTIVE PROGRESS: 2/4 Assists
The gym got loud. Real loud. Bayview's student section was on their feet now, sensing the momentum shift.
Coach Sullivan didn't flinch. He clapped once, calm and measured.
"Settle in!" he called out. "Run the offense. They're going to come at us. That's fine. We play our game."
Julian nodded and brought the ball up again, his face expressionless. No frustration. No panic. Just execution.
The Striders ran their system. Pass, cut, screen, pass. This time it was Cameron who got the open look from the elbow. He rose and hit a smooth jumper.
Striders 14, Bayview 9.
Darius brought it back up, and this time Julian pressed him harder, trying to disrupt his rhythm. Darius crossed over twice, then hit Julian with a behind-the-back dribble that created just enough space.
He drove into the lane, drawing Derek's help defense. But instead of forcing a shot at the rim, Darius pulled up for a short floater from eight feet out.
The ball kissed the glass and dropped through.
Striders 14, Bayview 11.
OBJECTIVE PROGRESS: 5/6 Points | Shooting: 2/2 (100%)
"Let's go, D!" Daren was hyped now, chest bumping him as they ran back.
But the Striders didn't crack. They came right back with another clean set. Mason Lee got an open three from the corner off a beautiful ball movement sequence.
Swish.
Striders 17, Bayview 11.
Darius wiped sweat from his forehead, breathing steady but feeling the weight of the game now. The Striders weren't rattled. Every time Bayview made a play, they answered. No emotion. No panic. Just execution.
On the next possession, Darius drove hard toward the rim, drawing Derek's help defense again. But this time, instead of pulling up, he kicked it out to Daren in the corner.
Daren caught it, squared up, and let it fly.
Three-pointer. Nothing but net.
Striders 17, Bayview 14.
OBJECTIVE PROGRESS: 3/4 Assists
The crowd was fully alive now. Bayview was climbing back into this game, possession by possession.
But the Striders kept answering. Julian ran another set, this time finding Andre for an easy layup off a back cut.
Striders 19, Bayview 14.
Darius brought it back up, and this time he saw it. Julian was cheating toward his left hand, trying to force him right. Darius crossed back left, exploded past Julian's hip, and rose for a pull-up jumper from the free-throw line.
Swish.
Striders 19, Bayview 16.
OBJECTIVE PROGRESS: 6/6 Points (COMPLETE) | Shooting: 3/3 (100%)
Darius jogged back, and for the first time, he saw it in Julian's face. Not panic. Not frustration. But acknowledgment.
He knows I'm a problem now, Darius thought.
Coach Sullivan called a timeout.
As both teams walked to their benches, Darius glanced at the scoreboard. They'd cut it to three. It wasn't enough yet, but it was progress.
The system was breakable.
He just had to keep finding the cracks.