The Roarers inbounded from the sideline. Their hot shooting hadn't cooled, and after two sharp passes around the arc, Darius rose up with confidence. The ball traced a clean line through the air and splashed down. Three more points.
The second quarter turned into a tug-of-war. Every basket answered by another. For the Roarers, it was their perimeter artillery; for the Bullets, it was all Kambon, relentless in his attacks at the rim. But the defense couldn't sag too far inside, because Milton showed touch from midrange and even buried a three, while Holloway, usually quiet, drilled one from deep.
When the buzzer finally rang, the scoreboard read: Roarers 63, Bullets 61.
Inside the locker room, sweat still clinging to jerseys, the team gathered around Coach Crawford. His tone was calm, but firm.
"Stanley," Crawford said, eyes narrowing with intent. "Third quarter, you're in. Stick to Kambon. Don't give him space. Make him work for everything."
