A Fight for Control
The Washington Middle gym wasn't as packed as the Hyde Park game, but the energy was different. The players on the court weren't there to show off or talk trash—they were there to battle. Lucas could feel it in the way Washington's players warmed up, the way their coach barked orders, the way their guards slapped the floor on defense before the tip-off even happened.
Lincoln Park's starting five stood ready.
PG – Lucas TurnerSG – Miguel SotoSF – Jamal WatsonPF – Jaylen CarterC – Evan Price
Jaylen stepped into the circle for the tip-off, squaring up against Washington's center, Malik Spencer. Malik was tall, strong, and built like a football player. He had that bulldog energy, the kind of player who fought for every rebound like his life depended on it.
The ref tossed the ball in the air.
Malik got a slight edge, tipping it backward to his point guard, Terrence King, a quick, shifty guard with sharp handles and a cocky smirk.
Lucas had already heard the scouting report—Terrence loved to push the pace and break defenders with his dribble.
Lucas crouched low, locking in.
Game on.
Washington wasted no time attacking.
Terrence sprinted up the court, putting pressure on Lincoln Park's defense right away. He dribbled with tight, controlled movements, swerving toward the left wing, baiting Lucas into shifting too far.
Lucas stayed disciplined. No overcommitting.
But then, with a sudden burst, Terrence spun back the other way, threading a pass to Malik in the paint.
Malik bumped into Jaylen, powered through the contact, and finished off the glass.
0-2.
Lucas gritted his teeth. That was smooth.
Lucas took the inbound and brought the ball up, immediately feeling the pressure. Washington's defense was tight, with their guards pressing hard, hands swiping aggressively at the ball.
But Lucas was ready.
He motioned for Miguel to cut, then used a quick crossover into a hesitation dribble. His defender shifted slightly—Lucas saw the moment of hesitation.
Boom. He exploded forward.
He threaded the needle between two defenders, weaving through the chaos, then kicked the ball out to Jamal in the corner.
Jamal caught it. Set his feet.
Pulled up.
Clank.
Lucas barely had time to react before Washington was already running.
Terrence grabbed the rebound, pushed the pace, and launched a deep pass to his shooting guard, who finished an easy layup in transition.
0-4.
Lincoln Park was already on their heels.
Coach Harrison clapped his hands from the sideline. "Settle down! Play our game!"
Lucas took a deep breath.
Lincoln Park slowed things down.
Lucas called for a new set, one of the plays they had worked on this week—a double off-ball screen designed to get Miguel an open look.
Jaylen set a hard screen on the left wing. Evan followed with a secondary pick, allowing Miguel to curl around toward the top of the arc.
Lucas delivered the pass perfectly.
Miguel caught it in rhythm. Rose up.
Cash.
3-4.
Miguel turned back toward the bench. "That's more like it!"
Lucas nodded. That was their game. Clean execution. No rushed plays.
Washington came back just as aggressive.
Terrence ran a high pick-and-roll, using Malik as a wall to shake Lucas. He darted into the lane, but this time, Jaylen slid over in time, cutting off his drive.
Terrence reacted fast, kicking it out to their power forward, who took a deep two.
Lucas saw his chance.
He crashed the boards hard, leaping up to snag the rebound before anyone else.
Immediately, he pushed the ball up.
A quick crossover sent his defender stumbling. Lucas kept going, now facing a one-on-one situation at the top of the key.
The Washington defender crouched low, hands active, eyes locked on Lucas's movements.
But Lucas was already thinking two steps ahead.
He started with a slow right-handed dribble, sizing up his opponent. Then—
Boom. A hard inside-out move.
The defender shifted his weight slightly—Lucas saw it.
Between the legs. Snatch-back.
His defender bit, lunging forward slightly.
Lucas immediately hit a hesitation, faking a step-back jumper.
His opponent bit again, leaning too far back—just for a split second.
That was all Lucas needed.
He exploded forward, driving left, then whipped a one-handed pass to Evan, who finished the layup strong.
5-4.
Miguel laughed, jogging back on defense. "Bro, you just made that man touch Earth."
Lucas smirked. That's what he trained for.
Washington answered back.
Terrence orchestrated a quick give-and-go, getting separation for a floater. Malik kept bullying the glass, snagging an offensive rebound and tipping it back in.
Lincoln Park fired back.
Lucas hit Miguel for another three. Jaylen scored off a strong drop step.
Both teams were going back and forth, trading blows.
With a minute left in the quarter, the scoreboard read:
Lincoln Park 9 - Washington 10.
Last possession of the quarter.
Lucas held the ball, letting the clock wind down. He motioned for a high screen from Jaylen.
Washington's defense adjusted, expecting the pick-and-roll.
Lucas saw it coming.
Instead of using the screen, he faked left, then immediately spun back right.
He had just enough space.
Lucas pulled up from midrange.
The ball sailed through the air—
And rattled in as the buzzer sounded.
11-10, Lincoln Park.
The crowd cheered, and Lincoln Park's bench clapped in approval.
Lucas jogged back, breathing steady.
Lucas wiped the sweat from his forehead as he jogged back to the bench. The first quarter had been a back-and-forth fight, but Lincoln Park was up 11-10. Washington Middle wasn't as flashy as Hyde Park, but they were physical, scrappy, and relentless. Every possession felt like a battle, and Lucas knew they had to keep executing if they wanted to control the game.
Coach Harrison clapped his hands as the team gathered. "Good work so far, but we're still making mistakes." His eyes scanned the team. "We're getting better looks than them, but we're not finishing strong enough."
Jaylen wiped his face with his jersey. "Man, their big guy is hacking on every play."
Coach nodded. "Malik is a bruiser, but he's slow-footed. That's why we're running that new set for you." He turned toward Miguel. "And Soto—we're putting you in more pick actions. They're playing you too tight, so we use that against them."
Miguel grinned. "Oh, I like that."
Coach turned to Lucas. "You control the tempo. No forced passes. No rushed shots. Let's execute."
Lucas nodded. "Got it."
The buzzer sounded, and they headed back onto the court.
Washington started the quarter with the ball.
Lucas squared up against Terrence King, who had been running the offense for Washington with quick handles and aggressive drives.
Terrence smirked, dribbling casually. "I know y'all feeling it. We're just getting started."
Lucas stayed locked in. "Man, we ain't even warmed up yet."
Terrence chuckled, then exploded forward. Quick first step.
Lucas anticipated it, sliding his feet. But Washington's power forward set a hard screen at the top of the key.
Lucas fought through it, but Terrence had already snaked into the lane, hitting a smooth floater over Evan.
11-12, Washington.
Lucas clenched his jaw. Terrence was a problem.
Lucas brought the ball up, keeping his dribble tight as Washington's defenders pressed up on him.
He signaled the new play for Miguel's pick action.
Jaylen set a high screen, and Miguel flared out to the left wing.
Lucas fed him the ball—Miguel immediately attacked.
His defender was too aggressive, expecting a shot. Miguel faked a step-back, then exploded inside, cutting through the gap.
The help defense came—but Miguel had already anticipated it.
He dumped a quick pass to Jaylen, who caught it in stride, went up strong, and threw it down off the glass.
The bench exploded.
13-12, Lincoln Park.
Miguel turned to the Washington bench, smirking. "Y'all better get used to that."
Terrence pushed the pace again, but Lucas was ready this time.
He stuck to him through the screen, forcing Terrence to reset the play. Washington's shooting guard, Jordan Willis, tried to take Miguel one-on-one.
Big mistake.
Miguel clamped him up, forcing a bad pass.
Lucas jumped the lane—steal.
He took off down the court, but Washington's defense recovered fast.
Lucas pulled up, scanning the floor. No need to force it.
Instead, he slowed it down, waved off the pick, and called for the second new play—Jaylen in the post.
Jaylen positioned himself against Malik, hand extended. Lucas fed him a bounce pass inside.
Malik leaned into him, trying to force Jaylen off balance, but Jaylen held his ground.
One hard dribble. Spin move. Power layup. Bucket.
15-12, Lincoln Park.
Jaylen flexed slightly as he ran back. "You too slow, big man."
Malik scowled. "Try that again, see what happens."
Jaylen smirked. "Bet."
Washington didn't back down.
Terrence drove in for another floater.Miguel hit a deep three off a Lucas assist.Malik bullied his way inside for an and-one.Lucas answered with a step-back jumper over his defender.
The game was turning into a rhythm battle, both teams trading buckets, neither backing down.
Coach Harrison called a timeout with four minutes left in the quarter.
Lincoln Park was up 20-18.
Lucas adjusted his shorts as they came out of the timeout. He could feel it—this was where they needed a momentum shift.
Washington's defense tightened up, pressing full-court again.
Lucas calmly dribbled forward, scanning the floor. Then he made his move.
He started with a slow right-handed dribble, baiting his defender. Then—
Boom. A hard inside-out move.
The defender shifted his weight slightly—Lucas saw it.
Between the legs. Snatch-back.
His defender bit, lunging forward slightly.
Lucas immediately hit a hesitation, faking a step-back jumper.
His opponent bit again, leaning too far back—just for a split second.
That was all Lucas needed.
He exploded forward, driving left, then whipped a one-handed pass to Jaylen.
Jaylen caught it. Easy finish.
The bench erupted.
Miguel grabbed Lucas by the jersey, laughing. "Bro, you out here playing 2K?"
Lucas smirked. "Just hoopin'."
But Washington was relentless.
Lucas barely had time to celebrate before Terrence was already pushing the pace.
Terrence sprinted down the court, Euro-stepped through traffic, and somehow flipped the ball in with an acrobatic layup.
22-20, Lincoln Park.
Lucas huffed. "Man, this dude doesn't stop."
Jaylen shook his head. "We need to slow him down."
With less than a minute left, Lucas signaled another play for Miguel.
Jaylen set a hard screen, Miguel curled around it perfectly, caught the pass, and drilled a deep three from the wing.
25-20.
Miguel turned to the Washington bench. "Yeah, keep leaving me open. See what happens."
Washington rushed their next possession, missing a tough contested shot.
Lincoln Park had one last chance before halftime.
Lucas controlled the ball, letting the clock wind down. Ten seconds.
He waved for an isolation.
Terrence stepped up, locking eyes with him.
"You really think you got me?" Terrence smirked.
Lucas didn't respond. He let his game talk.
He started slow. Dribble between the legs.
Hesitation. Jab step. Step-back.
Terrence stayed on him—but Lucas wasn't done.
He faked the shot, then exploded forward, taking a hard dribble inside.
At the last second, he stopped on a dime, fading back for a midrange jumper.
Terrence lunged too late.
The ball swished through as the buzzer sounded.
27-20, Lincoln Park.
Lucas held his follow-through as the crowd erupted.
Terrence shook his head, grinning. "Aight, I see you."