"You're doing great, fellas. Now— Their starting five will wane in their energy because they don't have enough rest like you do. Keep on attacking and shooting and giving them problems. Their fatigue will catch up on them and you have to take advantage of it. Understood?"
"Yes, coach," is their reply.
While they wait for the game to start, the Warriors team chats their boredom away.
Mark is sandwiched on the bench with Kevin on his left and Justin on his right with Cesar standing opposite him.
"I wonder why the Pitbulls don't sub their starting lineup out when they've been playing for so long," Kevin asks.
"It's because they don't have good players left, Kevin," replies Cesar. "Look at their bench, they can't handle us. They don't have the firepower to do so, so they have to give their best players even though they'll get tired. It's sad to think about that they don't have good players, but that's all there is to it."
"Dang, it truly is sad," says Justin. "Luckily enough, we got to have an elite starting lineup and good enough bench—"
"Hey〜" says Berjame who is beside him. "What do you mean good enough?"
Justin just smiles and chuckles, "Oh, I mean you're good players, Fred. Ahehehe."
"Haha. To tell you the truth, you, starting stars are better than us. We wouldn't have defeated the Lions if not for you four."
Mark smiles, "Thank you, Fred. You, bench players, too help us win because you hold out against the best of the best when we're resting."
"Thanks, Mark," replies Berjame. "We'll help each other win."
The game starts and it's Pitbulls ball.
They run a play then the ball goes into the hands of Villanueva at the top of the three-line who lets it rip.
The ball doesn't go in but hits the rim. Managaytay gets the putback and has no luck in going in. Kevin battles Managaytay to rebound the orb and succeeds.
Kevin holds on to the ball and passes it to Aguas. By now the Pitbulls falls back in defense with their 2-3 zone while the Warriors jog to their positions.
When Aguas, Justin's substitute, called the play, Mark was wide-eyed. Even Cesar is wide-eyed.
"Are we sure about this, Kyle? We haven't done this in a real game," shouts Mark.
"I'm sure about this! Even confident," replies Aguas.
Aguas passes the ball to Mark at the wing who then skip passes to the corner where Kevin is. With Cesar's screen hindering the defender, Kevin shoots. AND SCOOORES!!!!
"WHOOO. LOVE YOU, KEVIN!!!"
"SHOOT THEM DOWN, KEVIN!!"
Maaravi Warriors 94-88 Charlemagne Pitbulls
3rd Quarter
9:38
They run plays for Kevin and he never fails to impress the crowd.
Both teams score less now because of the intense defense between both sides, making it even on both sides of offense and defense.
Hanging on the rim is Kevin shouting like crazy. He had just led the fastbreak all on his own, not even Managaytay could keep up with him because of his light weight.
"WHOOO!! BREAK THE BOARD, KEVIN!!"
Maaravi Warriors 116-108 Charlemagne Pitbulls
3rd Quarter
1:05
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
It's Pitbulls ball.
They run the play again which they only have the opportunity of scoring. Managaytay receives the ball from Marquez then Marquez cuts to the paint. But instead of passing it to him, he skip passes it to Villanueva at the top who shoots for trey.
THE BALL PLUMMETS FOR CHICKEN NUGGETS BUCKETS!!
Maaravi Warriors 116-111 Charlemagne Pitbulls
3rd Quarter
1:05
Caballero inbounds the ball to Justin and they jog across the court.
The Pitbulls recognize the play of their opponent. So when Kevin receives the ball to the corner, Villanueva is already there to contest. But this is only a diversion and a ruse.
Cesar gives a screen to Managaytay for the cutting Caballero. Kevin passes Caballero the ball who lays it up. Managaytay, ever so agile, overcomes the screen and catches up on Caballero, blocking his shot.
Cesar gets the rebound and soars to slam it home. Managaytay recovers and contests his dunk attempt and succeeds. Cesar couldn't get any progress with the orb stuck in place in mid-air. Managaytay's efforts pay off as he gets the rebound.
Managaytay passes the ball to Cabaluna who is a little bit weary and then to Marquez who is running ahead of them. He leads the fastbreak then lays it up when a bullet train turns into a plane and then denies the orb.
When Cesar lands on the ground, he sees Managaytay going after the ball.
'If he's gonna get it, there's no way I can stop him,' Cesar thinks.
So he sprints towards the ball, but the giant is closer to the ball than ever. Managaytay gets the ball and Cesar contests as the former postures a slam in mid-air.
Cesar resolves himself to, 'I will not be… DEFEATEEEEDD!!!!'
Cesar tips the ball with just enough force to make the orb go out of Managaytay's hand.
Mark rebounds the ball and goes with the floater. Because Managaytay is unbalanced and cannot recover to defend, Mark gets a clean bucket.
Maaravi Warriors 118-111 Charlemagne Pitbulls
3rd Quarter
0:38
Managaytay is again posting up against Kevin who is surprisingly strong and has a lot of stamina.
'I have to score against him or we'll be hampered on the offense,' thinks Managaytay.
Managaytay bodies Kevin over and over again then attacks to the paint. He attempts to shoot and Kevin contests it. But it's just a pump fake, and Managaytay takes advantage of it by shooting it one-handed. However, he underestimated Kevin's defensive and athletic abilities.
Kevin recovers incredibly quickly and contests his shot which eventually leads to a block.
Managaytay rebounds the ball and passes it to Villanueva at the top.
Villanueva shoots with a heavy contest from Cesar. The ball banks the board and out again.
Kevin rebounds the rock and throws it to Cesar who is ahead. Cesar catches it and as he sprints, he hears heavy footsteps. The rock handler doesn't mind this and soars high for a one-handed slam when it got stuck when he cocked it back. Managaytay's hand is on top of it and knocked it off out of bounce. Cesar falls hard to the ground.
Managaytay walks off the wounded Cesar and Kevin helps him get up.
"Are you ok, Cesar?" says Kevin.
"Yup. I'm ok. That guy's strong that's for sure."
"Be careful next time. Don't get too cocky."
"Sure do."
The ball is now inbound, resuming the game. It goes to the top in Justin's hands. He calls out a play that Aguas used and they comply quickly as the time is running out.
As Caballero receives the ball from the corner Managaytay is already waiting for him at the paint. So, he passes it back to Kevin then to Justin then to Mark at the corner and shoots.
The ball descends, hits the rim, and goes out. Then the buzzer beats.
Maaravi Warriors 118-111 Charlemagne Pitbulls
End 3rd Quarter
0:00
Managaytay sits on the bench with a thousand-yard stare. Barely hearing the coach's instructions.
He sighs and thinks, 'I can't believe they're this strong compared to last year.' He looks at his teammates who are sitting on the bench and sees them tired and beaten. 'No, we won't lose to them.'
So he stands up, gets in front of them, and says, "Men, let's get to business. We will beat them fair and square. When we get the lead, we will steamroll them diaper-wearing gosh-darn noobs. Now who's with me!!"
"Ahww! Ahww! Ahwoooo!!!" is their reply.
The players pour out on the floor and the game resumes. Managaytay pushes against all the odds but Cesar and Kevin hold them out while Justin and Mark are subbed out.
Maaravi Warriors 129-120 Charlemagne Pitbulls
3rd Quarter
7:31
The Pitbulls players go to their coach and sit on their bench. The coach glances at his players and looks down.
His players are dog-tired owing to the restlessness that their best players have played. They can't even rest because they would lose the game if they sub out.
"Look, guys. I know you're tired… but let's give it our best out there."
'Best,' thinks Managaytay. 'Give them our best?'
Managaytay looks at his teammates.
'How can we win when we can't even have good bench players? How can we win if that darn kid keeps guarding me?'
The game resumes once again.
And this time, the Pitbulls can't take it anymore. They miss shots every opportunity they take and Managaytay is guarded tight by Kevin. It's impossible for them to score let alone guard the Warriors.
'Best?' thinks Managaytay mid-game. He glances at his teammates and thinks again, 'We've given our best… but our opponent is better.'
With twenty seconds on the clock, the Warriors hold the ball as long as they can with a wide gap on the scoreboard.
3…
2…
1…
The buzzer expires and the scoreboard tells it all.
Maaravi Warriors 141-129 Charlemagne Pitbulls
End 4th Quarter
0:00