The third quarter started with Bayview receiving the ball. Darius caught the inbound pass from Eli and immediately took off sprinting. No walking it up. No letting the Striders set their defense. Just pure speed.
Julian Hayes was caught off guard for half a second, but his instincts kicked in and he sprinted back alongside Darius. Cameron Wells was already backpedaling hard, trying to get into position. The rest of the Striders were scrambling to get back.
Darius crossed half court at full speed and drove hard toward the right side of the basket. Julian stayed on his hip, but Darius had momentum. He jumped and released a floater over Derek Grant's outstretched arms.
The ball hit the glass and dropped through.
Striders 68, Bayview 62.
"That's it!" Daren shouted, sprinting back on defense. "No letting up! Make them work!"
Julian caught the inbound pass and tried to walk it up slowly, the way the Striders always did. But Darius picked him up at three-quarter court, hands active, forcing him to speed up his dribble.
Julian crossed half court and immediately looked to start their set, but Bayview's defense was already loaded, everyone in position, denying passing lanes. Julian swung the ball to Cameron on the right wing.
Cameron caught it and tried to drive baseline, but Daren was there, sliding his feet perfectly, cutting off the angle. Cameron picked up his dribble and looked for an outlet. He passed it back to Julian at the top.
Julian reset and passed to Mason Lee on the left side. Mason tried to attack, but Marcus was glued to him, hand up, forcing him away from the basket. Mason kicked it back out to Andre Simpson at the left elbow.
The shot clock was winding down. Twelve seconds. Andre caught it, took one dribble, and shot a mid-range jumper. Marcus closed out hard, his hand reaching toward the ball.
The shot clanged off the front of the rim. Eli grabbed the rebound with both hands, turned, and immediately looked up court.
Darius was already running.
Eli threw a long pass that Darius caught in stride at the three-point line. Julian was chasing him, but Darius had a step. He drove into the paint, and this time when Derek stepped up to help, Darius kicked it to Daren on the right wing.
Daren caught it, squared up, and shot without hesitation.
Three-pointer. Through the net.
Striders 68, Bayview 65.
The Bayview bench exploded. Malik was on his feet, jumping up and down. Kenny was clapping hard, shouting encouragement. The energy had completely shifted.
Coach Sullivan stood on the sideline, arms crossed, watching calmly. He didn't call timeout. Not yet. This was a test. Could his team handle adversity without him holding their hands?
Julian brought the ball up, and this time he didn't try to slow it down. He pushed the pace himself, getting into the frontcourt quickly and running a set. Pass to Cameron, swing to Mason, back to Julian.
Julian drove into the paint, drawing Eli's help defense, then kicked it out to Derek Grant at the top of the key. Derek caught it and shot a mid-range jumper.
The ball went through.
Striders 70, Bayview 65.
"Good answer!" Coach Sullivan called out from the sideline. "Stay composed!"
Darius brought the ball back up at the same breakneck pace. He crossed half court and immediately attacked. Julian stayed in front of him, but Darius crossed over hard to his left and drove into the paint.
Derek stepped up to help. Darius jumped and passed the ball in mid-air to Eli, who caught it and finished with a dunk.
Striders 70, Bayview 67.
Back and forth they went, neither team giving an inch. Julian hit a pull-up jumper. Daren answered with a three-pointer. Cameron Wells scored on a backdoor cut. Darius responded with a floater in the paint.
Every possession felt like a battle. Every basket was earned through sweat and will.
With four minutes left in the third quarter, Coach Anderson made a substitution. "Malik! You're in for Luis!"
Malik ripped off his warmup and jogged to the scorer's table. His heart was pounding. He hadn't played much this game, and when he did, it was usually garbage time. But this wasn't garbage time. This was a war.
He checked in and immediately looked at Darius, who gave him a quick nod. "Just do what you do. Move. Set screens. Make noise."
Malik nodded back, his jaw set.
The Striders had the ball. Julian brought it up and ran another set. Pass to Cameron, swing to Mason, then to Andre at the left elbow. Andre tried to drive, but Malik rotated over from the weak side, cutting off his path.
Andre kicked it back out to Julian. The shot clock was down to eight seconds. Julian drove right, but Darius stayed in front of him. Julian stopped and shot a contested jumper.
Miss.
Malik jumped and grabbed the rebound with both hands, his first meaningful contribution of the game. He immediately passed it to Darius, who took off running.
Bayview pushed in transition. Darius drove into the paint, and when Derek stepped up, Darius kicked it to Daren on the wing. Daren shot a three-pointer that missed, but Malik had sprinted down the court and crashed the offensive glass.
He grabbed the rebound over Andre Simpson, turned, and kicked it back out to Darius at the top of the key.
Darius caught it and shot without hesitation. The ball went through.
Striders 70, Bayview 69.
"Let's go, Malik!" Eli shouted, slapping him on the back as they ran back on defense.
Malik didn't say anything, but his eyes were locked in now. He wasn't thinking about stats or playing time. He was just playing.
Julian brought the ball up, and the Striders ran another action. This time it was a double screen for Cameron Wells on the right side. Cameron came off the screens hard, trying to get open.
But Malik saw it coming. He jumped out and helped Daren fight through the screens, disrupting the timing of the play. Cameron caught the ball, but he was off balance. His shot was rushed.
Miss.
Darius grabbed the rebound and pushed again. He drove into the paint and kicked it to Malik in the corner. Malik caught it, hesitated for half a second, then passed it to Daren on the wing.
Daren rose up and hit another three-pointer.
Bayview 72, Striders 70.
Bayview had taken the lead.
The gym erupted. The student section was going crazy. The Bayview bench was on its feet, players jumping and shouting.
Coach Sullivan finally called timeout.
As both teams walked to their benches, the difference in their demeanor was stark. The Striders were still calm, still composed, but there was something in their eyes now. Not panic, but acknowledgment. Bayview had figured something out.
On the other side, Bayview's players were buzzing with energy. Daren was hyped, clapping and shouting. Eli was nodding, his face intense. Malik was breathing hard, sweat pouring down his face, but there was a grin threatening to break through.
Coach Anderson gathered them in the huddle. "That is the energy we need. That is Bayview basketball. Keep pushing. Make them uncomfortable. And Malik, good work. Keep doing exactly what you are doing."
Malik nodded, his chest swelling with something he hadn't felt in a long time. Pride.
Across the court, Coach Sullivan stood calmly in front of his players. "They have found their rhythm. That is fine. We knew this would happen. Now we respond."
He looked at Julian. "Slow it down. Get back to our pace. Make them play defense for the full shot clock. Tire them out."
Julian nodded. "Yes, Coach."
Sullivan looked at the rest of the team. "They are playing with emotion right now. Emotion is powerful, but it fades. Discipline does not. Trust the system."
The timeout ended. Both teams returned to the floor.
Julian brought the ball up slowly this time, deliberately killing the pace. He dribbled at the top of the key, letting the shot clock run down to twenty seconds before even starting the offense.
Pass to Cameron. Swing to Mason. Back to Julian. Then to Andre at the elbow. The ball kept moving, forcing Bayview to rotate, to chase, to work.
Finally, with eight seconds on the shot clock, Mason got an open look from the corner off a screen. He shot it cleanly.
Three-pointer. Swish.
Striders 73, Bayview 72.
Darius pushed the pace again, but this time the Striders were ready. They sprinted back and set their defense before Bayview could even get organized. Darius tried to drive, but Julian and Cameron trapped him at half court.
Darius kicked it to Daren, who swung it to Malik in the corner. Malik caught it and immediately looked to pass. He saw Eli flashing to the high post and fired it to him.
Eli caught it, turned, and shot a mid-range jumper over Andre's contest.
The ball went in.
Bayview 74, Striders 73.
Julian came back down and ran another set. This time it was Derek Grant who scored on a pick-and-roll with Julian, finishing with a layup over Eli's late contest.
Striders 75, Bayview 74.
Darius attacked again. He drove into the paint and kicked it to Malik, who had drifted to the left corner. Malik caught it, shot-faked, and when Mason Wells jumped past him, Malik drove baseline and kicked it back to Daren at the top.
Daren caught it and shot a three-pointer.
Swish.
Bayview 77, Striders 75.
The third quarter buzzer sounded.
Both teams walked to their benches, exhausted, breathing hard, but neither one willing to give an inch.
The scoreboard told the story. Bayview 77, Striders 75.
One quarter left. Ten minutes to decide who would advance to the semifinals.
Darius sat down on the bench, his chest heaving, sweat dripping down his face. Malik sat next to him, equally exhausted but locked in.
"Good work out there," Darius said between breaths.
Malik nodded. "Just doing what I can, man."
Daren walked over and slapped both of them on the shoulders. "One more quarter. That's all we need. One more."
Across the court, Coach Sullivan was speaking calmly to his team, his voice steady and measured. The Striders listened intently, their faces showing no panic, just focus.
They had been here before. Close games. Pressure situations. They knew what to do.