Chapter 247: The Fall of Northlake’s Giant

The referee bounced the ball toward Dexter after the inbound.

For a brief second, he simply stood there near the top of the key, palming the basketball with one hand while his chest rose and fell beneath his jersey.

His eyes never left Lucas. Around him, Northlake’s offense had already started moving into position.

The point guard raised a hand, signaling for the play Coach Carter had drawn up during the timeout, while the forwards spread toward the corners, expecting the ball to swing around the perimeter like it always did.

It never came.

Dexter ignored every one of them.

His fingers tightened around the basketball until the leather squeaked beneath his grip. Whatever Coach Carter had said during the timeout had already been thrown out the window.

This wasn’t about basketball anymore. It wasn’t about protecting Northlake’s lead or making the right read. It wasn’t even about winning the game.

It was about Lucas.

The ball hit the floor once.

Then Dexter exploded.

The crowd instantly leaned forward.

No crossover.

No hesitation.

No attempt to set up the defender.

He lowered one shoulder and came charging straight down the middle of the court, using every ounce of his massive frame like a battering ram.

His sneakers thundered across the hardwood, each step sounding heavier than the last, and every spectator who had watched the first quarter recognized exactly what he was trying to do.

They had already seen Ashford’s power forward carried off the court after taking one of those collisions.

They expected another body to hit the floor.

Lucas didn’t move.

His feet planted firmly against the polished hardwood.

His knees bent slightly.

His breathing slowed.

Yesterday, Tank had taught him one lesson over and over again.

Don’t meet force with force.

Redirect it.

At the very last instant, just before Dexter’s shoulder crashed into him, Lucas shifted his hips half a step and rotated his upper body with the impact instead of against it.

Boom!

The collision echoed throughout the arena.

Lucas slid back less than a foot.

Dexter didn’t.

His shoulder skimmed past Lucas instead of driving through him. The force he’d committed to the hit suddenly had nowhere to go. His upper body twisted awkwardly while his legs kept charging forward, completely out of sync with the rest of him.

For one hilarious second, the six-foot-six powerhouse pinwheeled across the hardwood trying to recover his balance.

He never did.

Bang!

He hit the floor so hard the sound bounced around the gym.

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Nearly twenty thousand people watched the biggest, strongest player on the court wipe himself out without Lucas even falling.

Nobody spoke.

Nobody breathed.

Then a student somewhere in the upper bowl completely lost it.

"OHHHHHH!"

Like someone had flipped a switch, the entire arena exploded.

Laughter crashed through the stands in waves.

People stood up pointing toward the floor.

Students grabbed each other’s shoulders trying to stay upright from laughing.

Even sections filled with Northlake supporters couldn’t hold it together anymore.

Across the court, Dexter’s teammates suddenly found the ceiling incredibly interesting. One bent down to retie shoes that didn’t need tying. Another grabbed a towel simply to avoid looking toward center court.

Nobody wanted to make eye contact with their captain.

Lucas glanced down at Dexter, who was still lying there trying to process what had happened.

"...You done?"

His voice wasn’t loud.

It wasn’t mocking.

If anything, it sounded almost disappointed.

That somehow hurt even more.

The loose basketball bounced freely toward midcourt.

Lucas reacted first.

He scooped it up with one hand and immediately pushed the break.

Northlake’s defense scrambled.

One defender sprinted over to cut him off near the three-point line.

Lucas slowed.

Just enough.

A tiny hesitation froze the defender’s feet.

The moment the defender shifted his weight forward, Lucas snapped the ball behind his back with effortless control and blew right past him.

Another defender rotated from the paint.

Lucas crossed back the other direction before the help defender could even get his feet planted, leaving him reaching at empty air as Lucas slipped between them.

Now there was only open hardwood.

The crowd rose together.

Everyone expected him to throw down a highlight dunk.

Lucas could have.

Instead...

He glided beneath the basket, hung in the air for an extra heartbeat, switched the ball to his opposite hand, and floated a silky reverse layup high off the glass.

Swish.

The ball barely touched the net.

Lucas landed smoothly beneath the rim, already jogging back on defense before anyone else had even turned around.

The scoreboard changed.

Northlake 18.

Ashford 15.

Only three points now.

A noticeable murmur swept through the building.

Northlake fans exchanged uncertain glances.

Ashford’s bench erupted.

"Let’s go!"

"That’s what I’m talking about!"

"Keep feeding him!"

Coach Harris didn’t cheer.

He simply stared.

The expression on his face had become strangely complicated.

Because every basket Lucas scored forced him to remember exactly what he’d wished would happen before the game started.

---

Dexter climbed back to his feet.

Embarrassment burned hotter than any pain.

His face had turned an ugly shade of red.

He slapped away the hand his center offered him and snatched the ball from the referee before anyone else could touch it.

Again.

He ignored the offense.

Again.

He attacked Lucas.

This time he came even harder, trying to bury his shoulder directly into Lucas’s chest.

Lucas gave ground.

Not much.

Just enough.

The instant Dexter overcommitted, Lucas pivoted out of the way, letting the bigger man’s own momentum carry him straight into three waiting Ashford defenders.

Bodies collapsed around him.

The shot he forced toward the rim slammed violently off the back iron.

Clang!

The rebound flew high into the air.

Lucas grabbed it cleanly.

Fast break.

He accelerated downcourt with long, effortless strides.

Nobody could catch him.

Halfway to the basket, the last Northlake defender realized he was too late and slowed down.

Lucas noticed.

Instead of attacking immediately, he casually reduced his speed as well, almost inviting the defender to think he still had a chance.

The defender lunged.

Lucas spun beneath the rim.

Reverse finish.

Another two points.

Northlake 18.

Ashford 17.

Now the laughter wasn’t limited to Ashford supporters anymore.

Even neutral spectators had started enjoying the show.

"He’s playing with them."

"That newbie is cold."

"Dexter can’t guard him."

The words drifted across the arena like poison.

Dexter heard every single one.

---

Northlake tried running an actual offensive possession.

For nearly ten seconds.

Then Dexter stole the ball from his own point guard.

"Give me that."

The point guard looked completely stunned.

"Dex..."

"I said give it."

Nobody argued.

Everyone on Northlake could see it.

Their captain wasn’t playing organized basketball anymore.

He was chasing revenge.

He attacked Lucas possession after possession, throwing shoulders, forearms, little elbows hidden beneath rebounds, grabbing jerseys whenever referees weren’t directly looking.

The officials swallowed every whistle.

Ashford’s bench completely lost its mind.

"Come on!"

"That’s a foul!"

"Are you blind?"

Coach Harris stormed halfway onto the court before an assistant grabbed him by the arm.

"Coach!"

"They’re killing us!"

"No..."

Harris said quietly.

His eyes never left Lucas.

"They’re trying."

"...He’s just refusing to fall."

Lucas barely reacted to any of it.

Tank’s hits yesterday had been heavier.

Ghost had taught him balance.

Spider had taught him anticipation.

Compared to everything he’d endured on those cracked neighborhood courts...

College basketball almost felt civilized.

By the time the clock dipped below seven minutes remaining in the quarter, Lucas had already scored nine straight points.

And Dexter...

...was breathing harder than anyone else on the floor.