The second quarter started with Bayview getting the ball, and this time Daren made sure to be loud about it.
"Ball movement!" he shouted as he brought it up court, his voice cutting through the crowd noise. "Let's see the floor!"
Darius caught the inbound at the top of the key, and immediately Jace was on him, that same patient pressure from before. But this time when Darius looked around, he actually saw his teammates. Saw Marcus cutting baseline. Saw Eli posting up. Saw Daren relocating to the corner.
He swung it to Marcus, who caught it and immediately attacked. Two hard dribbles toward the rim, then a kick out to Daren in the corner. Daren rose up and hit a three-pointer.
Bayview 35, Riverside 36.
"That's what I'm talking about!" Daren pointed at Darius as he jogged back. "That's how we do it!"
Jace brought the ball up, and this time Bayview's defense was locked in from the start. Darius picked him up at half court, hands active, denying space. Eli was positioned perfectly in the paint, ready to help. Marcus and Daren were in their zones on the wings, eyes tracking both their man and the ball.
Jace drove left, but Darius stayed in front. Jace crossed back right, but Darius recovered. Finally, Jace kicked it out to Terrell Hayes on the right wing.
Terrell caught it, and Daren closed out hard. Terrell didn't rush. He took one dribble to his right, creating just enough space, and rose up for a mid-range jumper.
The shot was smooth. Textbook form. Perfect rotation.
Swish.
Bayview 35, Riverside 38.
Darius glanced at Terrell as they ran back. He'd been so focused on Jace that he hadn't really studied the rest of Riverside's players. But that shot wasn't a fluke. The mechanics were too clean, the confidence too natural.
Bayview came back down and Darius drove into the paint, drawing Riverside's defense. This time he kicked it to Eli, who finished with a dunk.
Bayview 37, Riverside 38.
Jace pushed the pace, attacking in transition before Bayview could fully set their defense. He drove into the paint, and when Eli stepped up to contest, Jace didn't force it. He dropped the ball off to his center, DeAndre, who was trailing the play.
DeAndre caught it and finished with a layup before Troy could rotate over.
Bayview 37, Riverside 40.
Coach Anderson was standing now, his hands cupped around his mouth. "Get back faster! They're beating us in transition!"
Darius brought the ball up, and this time Bayview ran a proper set. Screen from Eli, drive and kick to Daren, swing to Marcus, back to Darius at the top. The ball moved like it was supposed to, finding the open man, making Riverside's defense work.
Finally, Marcus got an open look from the corner and knocked it down.
Bayview 39, Riverside 40.
But Riverside came right back. Jace called for a screen from Brandon, their power forward. The pick was solid, forcing Darius to fight through. By the time he recovered, Jace had already kicked it to Isaiah, their point guard, who was spotted up at the top of the key.
Isaiah caught it and shot without hesitation. The ball traced a perfect arc and dropped through the net.
Bayview 39, Riverside 43.
Malik leaned forward on the bench, his elbows on his knees. "Yo, their whole team can shoot."
"Yeah," Kenny said from beside him. "That's the problem. Everyone's so focused on Jace that they forget his teammates are all legit too."
It was true. As the second quarter progressed, the pattern became clearer. Jace was still the engine that made everything run, but Riverside had weapons everywhere. Terrell Hayes was hitting mid-range jumpers with automatic precision. Isaiah was knocking down open threes. Brandon was finishing around the rim with soft touch. DeAndre was cleaning up offensive rebounds and putbacks.
They weren't flashy. They didn't demand attention the way Jace did. But they were efficient. Brutally, quietly efficient.
With four minutes left in the second quarter, Bayview ran a beautiful play. Darius dribbled at the top, called for a double screen, and when both defenders committed to him, he hit Daren cutting backdoor for an easy layup.
Bayview 47, Riverside 49.
The deficit was down to two. The Bayview bench was on its feet, sensing momentum shifting their way.
But Riverside didn't panic. They never panicked. That was what made them dangerous.
Jace brought the ball up and immediately went into a pick and roll with Brandon. The screen was perfect, solid and legal, creating just enough space for Jace to turn the corner. Eli stepped up, his long arms reaching toward the ball.
Jace jumped and hung in the air, waiting for Eli to commit. The moment Eli left his feet, Jace dropped a perfect bounce pass to Brandon, who was rolling to the rim.
Brandon caught it and finished with a dunk.
Bayview 47, Riverside 51.
"That's what I'm talking about!" Terrell shouted from the wing, clapping hard. "Keep feeding the bigs!"
Darius pushed the pace, attacking in transition. He got into the paint and kicked it to Marcus, who swung it to Daren. Daren shot a three that missed, but Eli grabbed the offensive rebound and put it back up.
Good.
Bayview 49, Riverside 51.
Jace came back down and this time he gave Terrell the ball at the top of the key. Terrell immediately went to work, driving hard to his right. Daren stayed with him, his defense solid, his positioning good.
But Terrell wasn't forcing. He stopped at the elbow and shot a pull-up jumper over Daren's outstretched hand.
Nothing but net.
Bayview 49, Riverside 53.
Daren looked at his hand like it had betrayed him. He'd contested perfectly, done everything right, and Terrell had still made it look easy.
"Don't worry about it," Darius said as they jogged back. "Good defense, better offense."
But inside, Darius was starting to feel it too. The frustration that came from playing good defense and still getting scored on. The realization that Riverside wasn't just Jace Carter and four role players. They were a complete team, every player capable of hurting you if you focused too much on someone else.
Bayview ran another set, and this time Darius found Eli in the post for an easy bucket.
Bayview 51, Riverside 53.
But Riverside answered immediately. Isaiah drove into the paint, drew the defense, and kicked it to Jace in the corner. Jace rose up and hit a three-pointer that barely touched the rim as it went through.
Bayview 51, Riverside 56.
The back and forth continued, neither team able to pull away, both offenses executing at a high level. But slowly, almost imperceptibly, Riverside was building their lead. Three points became five. Five became seven.
With one minute left in the second quarter, the score was Bayview 58, Riverside 65.
Darius brought the ball up, his lungs burning, his legs starting to feel heavy. He'd been playing almost the entire quarter, and the physical toll was adding up. He called for a screen from Eli, used it to create space, and drove into the paint.
DeAndre stepped up to contest. Darius jumped and tried to finish over him, but DeAndre's length forced him to adjust mid-air. The shot came out awkward, hitting the side of the rim and bouncing out.
Terrell grabbed the rebound and immediately pushed the pace. Bayview scrambled back on defense, but Riverside moved faster. Terrell hit Isaiah on the right wing, Isaiah swung it to Jace on the left, Jace attacked baseline and kicked it back to Terrell, who had relocated to the top of the key.
Terrell caught it in rhythm and shot without hesitation.
Three-pointer. Good.
Bayview 58, Riverside 68.
Ten-point deficit. The largest lead of the game.
Darius brought the ball up with thirty seconds left, his mind racing through options. They needed a bucket. Needed to cut into this lead before halftime. He drove left, but Jace stayed in front. He crossed back right, but Jace recovered.
Finally, with the shot clock winding down, Darius pulled up for a contested three-pointer.
Miss.
The ball clanged off the rim and Riverside grabbed the rebound. Jace brought it up quickly, crossed half court, and with five seconds left on the clock, he pulled up from thirty feet out.
The ball was in the air as the halftime buzzer sounded.
It felt like the entire arena held its breath.
The ball hit the back of the rim, bounced straight up in the air, and fell through the net.
Riverside 71, Bayview 58.
The Riverside bench exploded. Players were jumping on each other, shouting, celebrating like they'd just won the championship. Jace jogged to the bench with his hand raised, accepting high-fives from his teammates, that same calm expression on his face like hitting thirty-foot buzzer-beaters was just another part of his routine.
The Bayview players walked to their locker room in silence, the weight of that thirteen-point deficit pressing down on them like a physical thing.
Darius was the last one off the court, his head down, his mind replaying every missed shot, every defensive breakdown, every moment where Riverside had made them look ordinary.
And as he walked through the tunnel toward the locker room, one thought kept echoing in his mind.
They weren't just good. They were complete.
And Bayview was running out of time to figure out how to stop them.