A Hard Lesson Begins

The gym was loud, Hyde Park's home crowd roaring with energy, already treating the game like a done deal. Their players fed off it, laughing, hyping each other up, and talking just loud enough for Lincoln Park to hear.

Lucas stood at the top of the key, dribbling slowly as he scanned the floor. He could feel the buzzing tension in the air, the unspoken challenge hanging between both teams. Hyde Park wasn't just here to win. They were here to embarrass them.

Jamari Holt, Hyde Park's quick-footed point guard, crouched low, smirking as he clapped his hands. "Come on, superstar. Show me what you got."

Lucas didn't bite. He'd seen defenders like this before—cocky, relentless, trying to get in his head. He stayed calm, calling for a screen from Jaylen. As Jaylen moved in, Lucas hesitated for half a second, then exploded left, slipping through before the defender could react.

Jamari recovered fast, but Lucas had already kicked it to Miguel on the wing. Miguel caught it, pump-faked, got his defender in the air, took one dribble, and let it fly.

Swish.

3-2, Lincoln Park.

Miguel grinned, jogging back on defense. "They better step up, or it's gonna be a long night."

Jamari snatched the ball from the inbound, eyes locked on Lucas. "Oh, we stepping up. Don't worry."

Hyde Park wasted no time pushing the ball up the court. They moved fast, running in perfect rhythm. The ball zipped from one player to another, and within seconds, it found their shooting guard, Malik Johnson, in the corner.

Miguel rushed to contest, but Malik barely hesitated.

Splash.

3-5, Hyde Park.

Miguel let out a breath, shaking his head. "Alright, that was quick."

Lucas took the inbound, already feeling Hyde Park's full-court press tightening around him. Jamari was up in his space again, his quick hands swiping at the ball, forcing Lucas to stay sharp.

"Let's see if you really a point guard," Jamari taunted.

Lucas didn't react, keeping his dribble tight. He used a behind-the-back move, stepping out of trouble, but Hyde Park sent another defender to trap him.

They weren't just pressing. They were hunting him.

Lucas swung a one-handed pass to Jaylen, who quickly dished it to Miguel. Miguel saw Jamal running ahead and launched a long pass.

Jamal caught it in stride, rose up for the layup—

Blocked.

Hyde Park's Rashad Morris sent the shot flying into the bleachers, staring Jamal down as the crowd exploded.

"Get that weak stuff outta here!" Rashad barked, pounding his chest.

Lucas gritted his teeth. They were playing fast. Too fast.

Lincoln Park wasn't controlling the tempo.

Coach Harrison clapped his hands. "Settle down! Slow it down!"

Lucas took a deep breath. He had to adjust.

The next few possessions were a battle. Hyde Park kept pressing, forcing tough shots and speeding Lincoln Park up. Lucas managed to find Miguel again for another three, keeping them in the game, but Hyde Park responded every time.

Their guards attacked in waves, pushing the ball in transition, forcing Lincoln Park to sprint back. Every missed shot turned into a fast break. Every turnover was immediately punished.

After a bad pass from Jamal led to an easy layup for Hyde Park, Coach Harrison had seen enough.

Timeout.

The scoreboard read 8-14, Hyde Park leading.

Lucas walked to the bench, hands on his hips, breathing hard. This wasn't like the Lakeview game. Hyde Park wasn't just trying to win—they were trying to overwhelm them.

Coach Harrison's voice was calm but firm. "They want us to rush. They want us to force bad passes, take bad shots. We're playing right into it."

Lucas wiped sweat from his forehead. "We need to control the ball better. Less dribbling, more movement."

Coach nodded. "Exactly. Lucas, you're gonna use more off-ball action. Let Miguel or Jamal bring it up sometimes—keep them guessing. And Jaylen, Evan, I need screens set with purpose. If we can't break this press, it's gonna be a long night."

Jaylen clenched his jaw. "Got it."

Miguel exhaled. "Man, I hate playing against teams like this."

Lucas nudged him. "Then let's make 'em hate playing against us."

The team nodded, locked in.

Coming out of the timeout, Lincoln Park adjusted.

Instead of letting Hyde Park trap him immediately, Lucas started the play off-ball, running through a screen from Jaylen to get open in the backcourt. Miguel inbounded to him after the press had already shifted, giving Lucas just enough space to work.

As Jamari closed in, Lucas immediately passed ahead to Jaylen, who kicked it out to Miguel.

Miguel caught it, looked up, saw Evan rolling inside, and lobbed a high pass over the defense.

Evan went up, laid it in.

10-14.

Lucas nodded to himself. That's the key. Keep the ball moving fast, but on their terms.

Hyde Park came down again, still attacking hard.

This time, Lucas stayed attached to Jamari, forcing him to work for every inch. Hyde Park ran a high pick-and-roll, trying to free Jamari up, but Lucas fought through the screen.

Jamari drove right, but Evan stepped up to help.

Lucas recovered, swiping down on the ball—steal!

He took off, pushing the ball ahead to Miguel, who immediately pulled up from deep.

The ball soared through the air—

And rimmed out.

Hyde Park grabbed the rebound and took off in transition.

Before Lincoln Park could react, the ball was already in the hands of Malik Johnson, wide open in the corner.

Lucas sprinted to contest, but Malik fired anyway.

Splash.

10-17.

Lucas clenched his fists. They weren't missing.

Jaylen grabbed the ball for the inbound. "Man, what do we do?"

Lucas exhaled. "Keep playing. Keep adjusting."

He took the inbound, and immediately, Jamari was all over him again.

Lucas spun left, faking a pass before cutting back right. Jamari stayed with him, but Lucas found Miguel open in the corner.

Miguel caught it, drove inside, and kicked it out to Jamal on the opposite wing.

Jamal took a deep breath. Set his feet.

And fired.

Swish.

13-17.

Lucas pumped his fist. They were still in this.

As the quarter wound down, the intensity only grew. Hyde Park kept attacking, using their speed and depth to keep fresh legs in at all times. Lincoln Park fought back, making adjustments, slowing the game down when they could.

But Hyde Park's defense was relentless.

Lucas managed to knock down a midrange jumper off a screen, keeping them within striking distance, but Hyde Park responded with another fast break score.

Miguel hit a step-back jumper. Hyde Park answered with a contested floater.

Every time Lincoln Park gained momentum, Hyde Park snatched it back.

As the buzzer sounded, ending the first quarter, the scoreboard read:

Lincoln Park 15 - Hyde Park 21.