Immediately upon seeing how Kentan had ended up on the floor, the referee did not hesitate to blow the whistle, pausing the game instantly. The official signaled toward the Crusaders' sideline, allowing the team doctor to enter the court and analyze Kentan's ankle with a serious expression.
The more he studied Kentan's ankle, the graver his look became. He immediately turned his head toward the coach, who wore the most worried expression of all, wanting to know if there was even a slight possibility that Kentan could continue playing.
However, all the hopes he had collapsed the moment he saw his medical assistant give him a clear signal for a substitution, indicating that Kentan's night had come to a tragic end.
Sighing, the coach immediately turned to Darnell, who, upon seeing Kentan, did not hesitate to stand up quickly and get by the coach's side, waiting for his instructions. "I need you to focus more on defense now; you and your teammate need to double-team Reed," he said, pointing to his teammate on the court and fixing his gaze on Aaron, who simply stood there watching everything with his hands on his hips.
Nodding his head, Darnell simply waited for the team doctor to take Kentan off the court so he could enter and give the orders to the rest of his teammates for the game to restart.
The doctor immediately helped Kentan to his feet; Kentan leaned against him and would not put weight on his left foot for anything in the world, fearing he would make the injury worse than it already was. Because the height difference was significant, the doctor struggled to move while Kentan leaned against him.
From one moment to the next, he felt Kentan's weight become lighter and saw that someone had approached to help Kentan off the court.
Aaron, seeing that the other team's assistant was having trouble getting Kentan out, did not hesitate and immediately approached to help them off the court, to the incredulity of his own team and the Crusaders.
Once they were off the court, Aaron helped Kentan settle into the chair. "Thanks," Kentan murmured in a low voice once he was seated, while Aaron, without saying another word, immediately turned and returned to the court.
That action earned him a huge round of applause due to the great spirit of sportsmanship following that selfless act by the Royals' number 15.
"And as we could see, unfortunately, Kentan Facey had to leave the court due to an injury to his left leg," the commentator narrated to all the viewers while the cameras pointed directly at the Crusaders' bench.
At that moment, the team medic more calmly lifted Kentan's left leg while placing a cold compress directly over the ankle, seeking to bring down the swelling immediately to alleviate the pain.
"Let's hope it's not a serious injury and he can recover as soon as possible," the commentator continued. "We should also mention that a few months ago, Kentan just confirmed he would be going to play for the UConn Huskies," he spoke while Kentan's statistics and his 4-star recruit profile were shown on the television screens.
Back in the game, Darnell had already entered the court and was quickly giving the rest of his teammates the instructions the coach had given him, while discussing more thoroughly with the teammate with whom he would defend Aaron.
"The coach wants us to double-team him, so we have to be alert," he said seriously to the power forward, who nodded while his gaze concentrated on Aaron, who was already ready for when the referee restarted the game.
With the players ready, the referee gave the ball to the Crusaders' point guard for a sideline inbound, who did not hesitate to make a quick pass, seeking to take the Royals' team by surprise.
Aaron immediately headed toward the paint, looking to defend the rim, while the rest of his team immediately began to surround the small forward, who had the ball at that moment and was pacing the perimeter, looking for a way to penetrate the rim.
Seeing that the possession time was running out, he attempted a daring shot to score, being contested by Aaron, causing both to collide while raising their hands; the ball bounced off the rim.
Quickly, the Crusaders' point guard did not miss the opportunity and managed to get the ball, breaking free from Jordan's marking, who did not react in time to see how he accelerated quickly and grabbed the ball. Before Jordan could block him, he threw the ball for a mid-range jump shot.
Swish was the sound of the ball as it went cleanly through the net.
Immediately after, the Crusaders wasted no time and returned to their side of the court while the Royals prepared to resume the game, with Aaron in charge of the sideline inbound.
While that was happening, Coach Arbitello took advantage of the fact that the clock had not yet restarted to make substitutions, putting Drew and James back on the floor, seeking to improve the team's offense.
Once Drew entered, Aaron gave him a sutil signal, which he caught instantly. He headed immediately toward the other half of the court while Aaron held the ball over his shoulder and threw it as if it were a football.
Taken by surprise, the Crusaders' players could only watch as Drew caught the ball and immediately headed toward the rim to make a simple layup under the gaze of several people.
"Whooa!" was the roar of the crowd upon seeing the Royals team score quickly without wasting a single second from Aaron's inbound pass.
The Crusaders, seeing that, immediately felt the joy they had after scoring their basket vanish as they saw the Royals team quickly score, maintaining the lead they had held since the beginning of the game.
The coach, seeing this, immediately called for a new timeout—of which he was already running out—as he saw his players approaching him completely dejected and with their heads down, as if they had already accepted defeat.
"Alright, listen, maybe we are going to lose; I won't deny that," the coach began with his speech, seeking to improve his players' mood as quickly as possible in the little time he had with the timeout.
"At least I want us to leave with our heads held high, so I want you to keep scoring and prevent the lead the Royals have from continuing to grow," he said seriously. "So I want you to react!!" he shouted, slamming his hand hard against the clipboard, causing all the players to jump.
"This isn't over yet," a voice said from the other corner, drawing everyone's attention. "We still have a few minutes and the last quarter," Kentan continued, who had not said a word since he left the court.
With their spirits renewed by the words of the coach and Kentan, the Crusaders' players completely changed their attitude, ready to return to the court. "Fine, then this is what we'll do," the coach said with his clipboard as he began to explain the new strategy.
On the other hand, the Royals' bench was more relaxed, with the boys discussing among themselves what they were going to do once they received the trophy or what party they would go to immediately after the game.
"So, what do you want to do after this?" Drew asked, having already taken it for granted that they were going to win the game without any complications, considering the score. "What do you suggest?" Aaron asked him, knowing that if his friend was asking, it was because he already had a plan in mind.
"Well..." Drew began as he looked toward the cheerleaders, his eyes landing on one in particular who, sensing his gaze, immediately blew a kiss in his direction, making his friend smile foolishly.
"Sam wants something quiet; maybe the four of us can go eat after this. My dad lent me the car," Drew said, hoping his friend would say yes, as it would be an important moment after winning the championship.
Thinking about it, Aaron considered that the occasion warranted it; besides, it would be a good way to relax, and he hadn't had a proper date with Hannah in a good while.
"Alright," Aaron responded to Drew, who simply smiled at him and gave a thumbs-up to Sam, who smiled even wider at that.
The referee immediately blew his whistle again, ending the timeout, with the players returning immediately to the court for the restart.
On this occasion, the Crusaders played more aggressively and quickly, knowing that even if they were going to lose, at least they would do so fighting until the end; the declaration of that was the dunk Darnell made against the rim.
With the ball in the Royals' possession, Aaron passed it to James, who began to bring it up calmly with a relaxed smile, quickly dodging the player in front of him. He continued forward only to be blocked by another player; so, protecting the ball between his legs, he calmly looked for a possible passing route.
What he did not foresee was that the player he had left behind earlier had silently approached from behind and snatched the ball, ready to initiate a counterattack that none of the Royals' players anticipated.
Seeing the ball back in their team's possession, the Crusaders' players immediately ran toward the other side of the court without even leaving anyone on defense, betting everything on the offense.
Aaron, being the first to react, immediately sought to steal the ball from the Crusaders' hands, but because they had moved up so high, the rest of his team could do nothing but watch as they performed a pick-and-roll to get past him.
And then they passed the ball to Darnell, who, gathering all his strength, jumped as high as he could to finish by slamming the ball against the rim with all his might, which vibrated from the force.
"Yes!!" Darnell roared loudly while his teammates gathered around him and continued celebrating.
Aaron, still unfazed by that, simply approached to pick up the ball and give it a few spins in his hands, feeling the lines of the leather on his palms while he waited for the Crusaders to finish their celebration under the insistence of the referee.
Without saying a word, Aaron immediately passed the ball to Drew, who gave it back, with both going straight toward the other half of the court, seeking to add more points and prevent the Crusaders from continuing with that momentum.
Aaron immediately headed toward the opposing paint, starting a struggle against Darnell, who sought to push him out of the paint by any means possible before he could receive the ball and put them in danger.
Despite his best efforts, Darnell could do nothing but watch as the ball reached Aaron's hands, who held it firmly while looking to turn around to make a dunk.
Or so the Crusaders' players and the rest of the public thought, as they were attentive to the play unfolding at that very moment.
With his back to Darnell, he immediately flicked the ball backward, making it so Drew—who like a ghost had approached close enough—caught it to then jump high and slam the ball with both hands.
With that play, the crowd went wild. "And there you have it! From behind his back, Aaron gives an assist to DeLuca, who, under everyone's gaze, slams it home, adding even more points for the Royals," the commentator narrated quickly.
Once he let go of the rim and his feet touched the ground, Drew was praised by his teammates as they headed toward their side of the court and prepared for what would be the final minutes of the match.
Again in the Stands
"Come on, boys, finish them off!!" Paola shouted at the top of her lungs, seeing the latest play Aaron and Drew had performed together.
Meanwhile, the people around could not help but look in that direction upon hearing Paola's shout. Most were men who lingered a few seconds too long looking at her, until Hector gave them a death stare, causing them to lower their heads.
"It's almost over," Melissa said, seeing that only the last quarter remained in the game. "We should start heading down," she added as she stood up and headed toward the exit, followed by Hector, Paola, and little Mia.
Once the game came to an end, the presentation of the trophy and awards would begin, and at that moment, they would also allow the players' families onto the court so they could celebrate together.
Since the Royals were practically dominating, it would be no surprise if they won, which was why the four of them were already heading straight to the court, ready to celebrate Aaron's final triumph in high school.
And deep down, they also knew it would be the last game they would see of him live for a good while, which is why they did not want to waste the opportunity to go down and celebrate with the boy they had seen grow up all these years.
Authors thought's
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