Floor General
The fourth quarter began with pure intensity.
The scoreboard read Lincoln Park 37 - Lakeview Academy 34, but nobody in the gym thought this game was over. Not even close.
Lucas wiped sweat from his forehead as he crouched into his defensive stance. Across from him, Cameron Reed's expression was stone cold. The kid was a killer, and he wasn't about to let his team lose without a fight.
Lakeview inbounded the ball, and Cameron wasted no time attacking. He crossed over, hesitated, and exploded toward the lane. Lucas stayed on his hip, but Cameron was strong. He took the contact, absorbed it mid-air, and banked in a tough floater.
37-36.
Lucas didn't flinch. He jogged back, taking the inbound from Evan.
"Keep moving," he called out as he dribbled up the court. "Make 'em work!"
Lakeview was sticking with their pressure defense, making every dribble, every pass, a battle. Lucas wasn't forcing anything. He scanned the floor, waiting for his teammates to find openings.
Miguel made a cut toward the top of the key, but his defender stayed glued to him. Instead, Lucas passed to Jaylen in the high post. Jaylen backed his defender down, faked a spin left, then powered right for a hook shot.
39-36.
Lakeview came down quickly. This time, they ran a double screen to get Troy Carter open in the corner. He caught the pass and launched a three before the defense could recover.
Splash.
Tie game. 39-39.
Lucas didn't even hesitate.
He sprinted up the court, dragging Cameron with him. He didn't have the ball yet, but he was already moving, making Lakeview scramble. Miguel brought the ball up, saw Lucas cutting off a Jaylen screen, and fired a pass to him near the top of the key.
Lucas caught it in rhythm and fired.
The ball arced high—
Swish.
The Lincoln Park crowd erupted.
42-39.
Lucas barely had time to celebrate before Cameron was already pushing the ball back. Lakeview wasn't backing down.
Cameron drove hard to his right, but this time, Lucas was ready. He planted his feet, absorbing the contact, and forced Cameron to pick up his dribble. Cameron pivoted, searching for an option—but there was nothing.
Jaylen's voice echoed across the court. "LOCK UP!"
Cameron had to force a bad pass, and Miguel jumped the passing lane, tipping the ball loose.
Lucas saw it.
He sprinted forward, grabbing the loose ball, and immediately took off in transition.
Miguel was running with him. It was a two-on-one fast break.
Lucas baited the defender, faking a pass to Miguel before keeping it himself and finishing with a smooth layup.
44-39.
Lakeview's coach called a timeout.
Lucas walked back to the bench, chest heaving, adrenaline surging.
Coach Harrison clapped his hands. "That's how we run! They can't handle our pace! Keep pushing the ball, but stay composed!"
The team huddled together, sweat dripping, hearts pounding.
Miguel grinned. "They thought we were gonna roll over, huh?"
Jaylen cracked his knuckles. "Nah. We built different."
Lucas nodded, breathing steadily. Four minutes left. Time to finish the job.
Lakeview came out of the timeout with fire.
They ran a perfectly executed backdoor play, getting an easy layup. 44-41.
Lucas slowed the pace, calling a set play. No rush. Just execution.
Miguel curled around a screen but was covered. Lucas faked a pass, then found Evan inside. Evan caught it, pivoted, and powered up through contact for two.
46-41.
Cameron answered right back, hitting a contested pull-up from the elbow.
46-43.
Back and forth. Punch for punch.
With under two minutes left, the score was 50-47.
Lincoln Park had the lead, but Lakeview had the ball. Cameron stood at the top of the key, dribbling slow, patient, calculating.
Lucas crouched low, locked in.
Cameron jabbed right, dribbled left, then pulled up from deep. Lucas lunged forward, contesting it perfectly.
The shot hit front rim.
The ball bounced high.
Evan and Bennett jumped at the same time, fighting for the rebound—
Bennett tipped it out to the wing.
Troy Carter caught it. Wide open.
He fired.
The ball soared through the air—
Swish.
Tie game. 50-50.
The gym exploded.
Lucas clenched his fists. One possession at a time.
He took the inbound, his heart pounding but his mind clear.
Miguel cut left, then back right, losing his defender. Lucas hit him with a perfect pass—Miguel caught it, stepped into his shot, and let it fly.
Splash.
53-50.
But Lakeview wasn't done.
With 20 seconds left, Cameron drove hard, drawing two defenders before kicking it out.
Troy Carter caught it in the corner again.
Lucas closed out fast, but Troy launched the shot over him.
The ball bounced off the rim—
But Bennett grabbed the offensive rebound and powered up for two.
53-52.
10 seconds left.
Lucas was immediately fouled as soon as the inbound came.
He walked to the free-throw line, the gym dead silent.
He dribbled once. Twice.
Breathe.
He shot.
Swish.
54-52.
Second free throw.
Swish.
55-52.
Lakeview had one last chance.
Cameron raced up the floor, weaving through defenders. He reached the top of the key and pulled up for a deep three—
Lucas jumped, contesting with everything he had.
The ball hit back iron.
The buzzer sounded.
Game over.
Lincoln Park had won.
Lucas stood still for a moment, absorbing it all. The sounds of his teammates celebrating, the crowd's reaction, the energy in the gym—it all hit him at once.
They had done it.
Miguel ran up, slapping him on the back. "Bro! You were a menace out there!"
Jaylen laughed, shaking his head. "I don't even think you broke a sweat on those threes."
Coach Harrison walked over, nodding. "Hell of a game, Turner. You controlled everything out there."
As he walked toward the locker room, something flashed in his vision.[NBA SYSTEM UPDATE]
Achievement Unlocked: "Master of the Court"Reward: New Badge – Floor General (Bronze)
Lucas's breath caught.He had gotten a badge upgrade?He pulled up the description.[Floor General – Bronze]Increases teammates' offensive awareness when on the court.Enhances passing effectiveness.Unlocks advanced play-calling options.
Lucas exhaled sharply.This was huge.His ability to lead, to control the flow of the game, had been recognized.