Title: The Final Play
Coach Darius stood before the huddle, clipboard in hand, his voice low but firm. The stadium roared above, a sea of restless thunder, but inside the huddle, it was just the team — battered, bruised, but not broken.
“This lineup gives us a possible victory,” he said, eyes scanning each of the five players. “I know it’s not perfect. I know you’re tired. But right now, you’re the only five who still believe we can win this.”
Kai, the youngest, nodded. His wrist was wrapped in tape, fingers swollen from the last skirmish, but his eyes burned with fire.
“I’m good, Coach. Just say the word.”
Beside him, Zara wiped sweat from her brow. She’d taken two fouls defending their best scorer. “One last push,” she muttered. “Let’s leave it all out there.”
Malik, their silent warrior, clenched his jaw and gave a thumbs-up. He rarely spoke, but when he did, it counted.
Tobi, the strategist, leaned forward. “Run the shadow screen. I’ll draw the double. Kai cuts in, Zara rotates wide. Malik cleans up the rebound if we miss. Easy math.”
Coach Darius smirked. “Nothing easy about this game. But that might just work.”
The fifth, Lena — limping, bruised, but fierce — raised her hand slowly. “And I guard Blake?”
Coach hesitated. Blake was their opponent’s top gun, a machine in human form. No one had slowed him down all night. But Lena didn’t flinch.
“Yeah,” Coach
