Scrimmage

The gym buzzed with anticipation, the squeak of sneakers on polished hardwood blending with Coach Harrison's commanding voice. The Lincoln Park Middle School Panthers had been putting in the work since the season began, but today was different. Today was about execution—putting their practice into action as they prepared for Lakeview Academy, the top seed in their region.

Lucas stood near half-court, dribbling the ball as he glanced over his teammates.

Starters:

PG – Lucas Turner (5'2") – The floor general, smart, and steady.

SG – Miguel Soto (5'3") – Explosive scorer with quick handles.

SF – Jamal Watson (5'6") – Athletic, aggressive, defensive-minded.

PF – Jaylen Carter (5'8") – A bruiser in the paint, controls the boards.

C – Evan Price (6'0") – The tallest, solid rim protector.

Bench Squad:

PG – Dante Owens (5'4") – Solid shooter, working on defense.

SG – Trey Daniels (5'1") – Feisty defender, developing offense.

SF – Marcus Hall (5'5") – High-energy rebounder and defender.

PF – Brandon Lee (5'9") – Physical, aggressive, but foul-prone.

C – Jordan Lewis (5'10") – Backup center with raw talent.

Coach Harrison stood at the sidelines, clipboard in hand, ready to push them through a series of intense scrimmages.

"Alright," Coach began, his voice cutting through the noise. "Today isn't just about playing—it's about playing smart. Lakeview Academy isn't going to hand us anything. We've got to take it."

The players nodded, their focus sharpening.

"Starters, you're up first," Coach called. "Bench, show me you can compete."

Jaylen leaned into the huddle. "Alright, let's start this off right."

Miguel clapped his hands, his grin wide. "Let's eat."

The ball was tossed up, and Evan easily out-jumped Jordan, tapping the ball back to Lucas.

Lucas caught it, eyes scanning the floor. He signaled for Jaylen to set a screen. As Jaylen planted his feet, Dante tried to slip under, but Lucas used the pick effectively, driving hard to his right.

As the defense collapsed, Lucas kicked the ball out to Miguel on the wing.

Miguel caught, set, and released before the defender could close out.

Swish.

Miguel jogged back on defense, flashing a smirk. "Man, I'm feeling it today."

Lucas grinned. "Good. Keep shooting."

Coach Harrison called out, "Great ball movement! Use the screens, read the defense. That's how we break them down."

The bench squad brought the ball up, with Dante trying to orchestrate the offense. Lucas was locked in, playing one step off to bait the drive while cutting off passing angles.

Dante hesitated, then tried to drive the lane, but Jaylen rotated over, arms wide, forcing a bad shot.

Evan snatched the rebound with authority and immediately passed to Lucas, sparking the fast break.

Lucas pushed the ball, Miguel running the left lane and Jamal the right. Dante managed to get back, but Lucas saw the opening—he threaded a bounce pass to Jamal, who finished with a smooth layup.

"Easy money," Jamal said, slapping hands with Lucas.

On the next possession, Marcus tried to muscle his way into the post, but Jaylen stood firm, his feet anchored like roots. Marcus spun left, but Jaylen swatted the shot away.

Miguel scooped up the loose ball and darted down the court, pulling up for a transition three.

Bang.

Coach whistled. "That's how you capitalize! Defense leads to offense. Every time."

Lucas brought the ball up slowly, orchestrating the team with a few quick gestures.

"Jaylen, screen up top!"

Jaylen barreled over, setting a brick-wall screen that left Trey stumbling. As the defense switched, Lucas found himself momentarily open and didn't hesitate—he took the midrange jumper, the ball kissing the net on its way down.

Miguel laughed as they set up on defense. "Keep shooting like that, you're gonna mess around and drop 30."

Lucas shrugged, but his smirk betrayed him. "That's the plan."

On the next play, Lucas ran a pick-and-pop with Evan, who stepped out for a rare jumper. Evan's form wasn't perfect, but the ball dropped through the hoop.

Jaylen jogged back, grinning. "Okay, big man! I see you."

Evan's smile was subtle, but it was there.

Final Scrimmage – Closing Strong

With the clock winding down, the starters led 34-26. Lucas held the ball, watching the bench squad scrambling to communicate.

Coach called out, "Finish strong! Execute the play!"

Lucas signaled for a double screen with Miguel and Jaylen at the elbows. He dribbled toward the right, Miguel slipped his screen and flared to the corner, while Jaylen rolled hard to the basket.

Lucas read the defense perfectly. As Marcus hesitated, caught between protecting the rim and closing out on Miguel, Lucas rifled a no-look pass to Jaylen, who laid it in effortlessly.

Miguel pumped his fist. "That's what I'm talking about!"

Jaylen flexed his arms. "Ain't nobody stopping me down there."

The gym was alive with energy as the Lincoln Park Middle School Panthers pushed through another intense practice. Sweat dripped from their faces, their muscles burned, but no one complained. The season was coming fast, and Lakeview Academy wasn't going to wait for them to catch up.

Coach Harrison had just blown the whistle, signaling the end of their starters-versus-bench scrimmage. Lucas and Miguel had led the starters to a solid win, using ball movement and defense to keep control of the game. But just as the players thought they were winding down, Coach clapped his hands and pointed to the clipboard.

"Not so fast," he said. "We're running one more scrimmage."

Groans rippled through the team, but Coach ignored them.

"This time, we're mixing up the teams. I don't want starters relying on their usual chemistry—I want everyone to learn how to adapt."

Lucas's ears perked up. Interesting.

Coach read off the new teams.

Team A:

• PG – Lucas Turner

• SG – Dante Owens

• SF – Marcus Hall

• PF – Jaylen Carter

• C – Jordan Lewis

Team B:

• PG – Miguel Soto

• SG – Trey Daniels

• SF – Jamal Watson

• PF – Brandon Lee

• C – Evan Price

Lucas gave Miguel a smirk as they jogged to their respective huddles. "Guess we finally get to go at each other."

Miguel cracked his knuckles. "Bout time."

Jaylen chuckled. "Man, I'm just here to dunk on people."

Coach blew the whistle. "Four-minute quarters. Run it."

The ball went up, and Evan once again won the tip, sending it toward Miguel.

Lucas immediately closed the gap, forcing Miguel to work to bring the ball up the court.

Miguel grinned. "Oh, so we're pressing now?"

Lucas didn't say anything, just stayed in front, moving his feet as Miguel tried to shake him.

Miguel eventually got free and passed to Jamal, who attacked off the dribble, driving past Marcus and finishing at the rim.

Lucas nodded. Alright, they're gonna push the pace. Let's slow them down.

Lucas called for the ball and brought it up, keeping his dribble steady. He signaled for a pick from Jaylen, who set a hard screen on Trey.

Lucas used the pick, hesitated for a moment, and then fired a pass to Dante in the corner.

Dante hesitated, then let it fly.

Swish.

Lucas jogged back, giving Dante a nod. "Shoot when you're open. Don't think about it."

Dante grinned. "Got it."

The game turned into a back-and-forth battle.

Miguel got hot, hitting back-to-back midrange shots, but Lucas responded by controlling the pace, finding Jaylen inside for two easy buckets.

With a minute left, the score was 14-14.

Coach shouted from the sideline, "Last possession—make it count!"

Lucas dribbled up, scanning the floor. Miguel was on him now, eyes locked in.

Lucas knew he couldn't just force a shot over Miguel—he had to create an opening.

He dribbled left, baiting the defense, then quickly crossed back right, using a Jaylen screen.

Miguel fought through it, but for a split second, Lucas had space.

He pulled up from the elbow.

Release. Spin. Net.

16-14. Game.

Miguel exhaled, shaking his head. "Alright, that was nice."

Lucas smirked. "Had to shut you down before you got too confident."

Coach blew the whistle. "Great work. That's the adaptability I want to see."

Lucas walked over to Miguel, dapping him up. "We're ready for Lakeview."

Miguel grinned. "Yeah. We are."

The players collapsed onto the benches, completely exhausted. The gym smelled like sweat, the sound of heavy breathing and sneakers sliding against the hardwood filling the air.

Miguel flopped down dramatically, throwing a towel over his face. "I need… oxygen."

Jaylen chuckled, shaking his head. "Man, you barely ran."

Miguel lifted the towel. "Lies. I ran too much."

Lucas sat down, gulping water from his bottle. "You're acting like you don't hoop for fun outside of practice."

Miguel groaned. "That's different. There's no Coach yelling at me to 'hustle' every five seconds."

Coach Harrison walked up, clipboard in hand. "Good work today," he said. "But don't get comfortable. We've still got a lot to clean up."

Jamal leaned back. "Like what?"

Coach tapped the board. "Transition defense. We're not getting back fast enough when we turn the ball over. Lakeview is gonna punish that."

Jaylen sighed. "So more running."

Coach smirked. "You catch on quick."

Miguel groaned. "I officially hate this."

Lucas chuckled. This was the grind.

Coach clapped his hands. "Next practice, we tighten things up. No excuses."

Lucas leaned back against the wall, feeling the sweat drying on his skin.

Lakeview was coming.

And Lincoln Park would be ready.