Chapter 81: Pushing the tempo

Since Nashton academy didn't really run any plays Jason's ability to help his team's defense by directing the other players was minimized.

However he made up for that by exerting pressure on the ball handlers as they brought the ball up the court.

Jason also helped by switching on to Nick or Matt's defensive assignments out on the perimeter when they would go to double team 3D in the post.

Outside of the front court Jason was the busiest one out on the floor as he ran around guarding multiple assignments.

Although they weren't able to completely stop 3D. Jefferson's aggressive form of defense helped to exhaust 3D faster as he had to work harder in the post to score.

Nashton academy passed the ball to the wing. Nick backed off of his defensive assignment a bit as he put his hands up to try and obstruct the passing lane.

The wing player then threw and overhead pass that went over the top of Nick. As soon as he saw this Nick went toward 3D to double team him.

3D saw the double team coming and passed the ball out to the wing player that had given him the ball.

The wing player caught the ball and was about to shoot the three. But before he could even start his shooting motion Jason was standing in front of him with his hand up in his face to contest the shot.

He then tossed the ball to Jason's original defensive assignment knowing that since Jason was guarding him now he was wide open.

But as soon as the ball left his hand Jason was already running back to his old defensive assignment.

He managed to catch the ball despite the messy pass. He saw that Jason was coming toward him but felt that he had enough time so he let the ball fly as he shot the three-pointer.

He went into his shooting motion and just as he was about to flick his wrist to send the ball out of his hands Jason managed to get a hand up in his face.

The ball flew in a high arc toward the basket but ended up hitting the side of the rim as it fell short.

3D tried to get the offensive rebound but he was being boxed out by both Kyle and Nick. And although Nick lacked the physical presence to affect 3D's positioning he was still able to restrict his movements somewhat.

With Nick's help Kyle was able to stay in good position as he jumped up high and grabbed the rebound with both hands.

He then tossed the ball to Jason before going into an all out sprint toward the basket on the other side.

3D was soon left behind as his team went to go chase Jason and the rest of Jefferson as they ran to push the fast break.

Even though Kyle was almost underneath the basket when the fast break started he was now running with Jason as they made their way to the basket.

Jason was taking up the left side as Kyle ran straight down the middle. It was 2 on 1 fast break as the only defender stuck with Jason.

The defensive pressure didn't seem to bother him as Jason just smiled as they continued down the court.

Finally as they neared the basket Jason lobbed the ball towards his right. The ball flew over the head of the defender before being caught in Kyle's right hand.

Kyle had jumped awkwardly as he wasn't able to properly measure his steps. So he didn't have the lift to produce enough power to slam the ball into the basket.

His hand guided the ball into the rim before he started to fall back down to the ground. But the crowd was going crazy nonetheless.

The home crowd was on their feet as they screamed their hearts out. If Kyle had actually managed to dunk the ball they might have torn down the building.

Jason ran over to Kyle to pull him off the floor. Jason was all smiles as he wrapped his arm around Kyle's neck before ruffling his hair.

"That was crazy bro! Way to run the floor Kyle!" He was all smiles after hearing Jason hype him up.

The fast tempo would continue as Jason and the team focused on making 3D run. And the more he ran the more exhausted he became.

His growing fatigue was obvious as he became less and less active in the post as well as less and less effective.

It even got to the point where the double teams were no longer necessary as Kyle alone was enough to guard the tired Center in the paint.

By the time the quarter had reached its halfway point Jefferson was up 70-48. This quarter was full of nonstop scoring for Jefferson.

Nashton academy called a timeout as they pulled 3D out of the game. Jason also took this moment to rest along with Kyle and Vince.

DJ, Trell, and Udonis subbed in for them. Without 3D on the floor Udonis was able to get back to scoring in the post as they ran the offense through him.

They also occasionally mixed in some pick and rolls using DJ and Trell. Trell's amazing speed forced the defense to focus a lot of their attention on him. Creating more space for DJ to operate.

DJ was able to make a few pull up mid-range jump shots as well make a few nice passes as he hit Trell on his rolls to the rim.

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On defense Jefferson no longer had to worry. Without 3D demanding so much of their focus they were able to play their man to man defense to full affect.

And even without Jason there to direct them they were able to hold down Nashton academy to an inefficient last half of the quarter.

Jefferson didn't let up though. They were capitalizing off of their good defense by running the fast break after every missed shot.

In the open court was where Trell shined the brightest. As he run the floor with everything he had he was able to get three dunks alone off of transition plays.

Every time he slammed the ball down the basket the crowd was going nuts. The atmosphere couldn't get any better as they were all in a celebratory mindset. To them the game seemed all but over.

By the end of the third quarter Jefferson was leading with a score of 84-57. Everyone made their way to the bench with bright smiles on their faces. At least on Jefferson's side.

Over across the court on Nashton academy's bench everyone was silent and looking down. The atmosphere was heavy and their energy seemed low.

Jason saw as 3D flipped one of the empty chairs over with a flick of his hand. He was animated as he talked to his team.

He was using his hands as he talked. He gestured different things and started pointing at all of his teammates. He even pointed at his coach before saying something.

Jason was surprised. This wasn't like the 3D that he played against in college. The 3D he knew was always calm and collected.

He almost never showed any emotions when he played on the court. His polish in the post and his cool as a cucumber demeanor drew many early comparisons to the greatest Power Forward of all time Tim Duncan.

'If he wasn't always like that then I wonder what made him change? Oh well, it's none of my business. I'm just glad that it looks like we'll walk away with the win.'

The start of the fourth quarter came as Jason and the rest of the lineup stepped back on to the court.

The odd part was that Nashton academy seemed to be having a problem. Their coach knelt beside 3D and talked to him.

But it seemed like he was refusing to play. They ended up putting their back up Center into the lineup.

Without 3D there Jefferson steam rolled Nashton academy. 3D's absence also seemed to have demoralized his team as they didn't have any of the energy and effort that they had when the game first started.

Jefferson won the game with a score of 94-62. They probably could have scored more and set a new season high record for points but they took their foot off the gas and cruised to the end of the game.

The teams lined up to shake hands one last time. When Jason got to 3D he smiled "You were some tough competition man.

I can't remember the last time one player gave us so much trouble." 3D nodded his head as his giant hand covered Jason's.

"You played a hell of a game yourself. The TV show didn't overhype you one bit. You might have won today but if we meet again during the county tournament it won't happen again."

The crowd started to disburse after giving their team one last cheer. Jason saw his parents walking over.

He smiled as he walked into his dad's embrace. Jason felt a warmth in his chest as his dad steadily patted him on the back "You were amazing tonight Jason. You all were."

His mom joined in on the hug "Fantastic as always Jaya! You guys played great against that giant.

I'll be honest, I was a little nervous when I saw him walking up to shake hands at the beginning of the game. I wanted to go down there and check if he was really a middle schooler haha."

Jason laughed after hearing his mom say that. After they were done congratulating and praising him they went around and congratulated the rest of the team on another job well done.

Jason was smiling as he watched his dad and mom praise Kyle. Kyle couldn't help but sheepishly smile as Jason's dad brought up their amazing lob play on the fast break.

While he was watching Jason felt a tap on his shoulder. Jason turned around and was stunned. It was the last person he would expect.

"Shania?!" Jason instinctively stepped back. Shania rolled her eyes "Boy, why the hell you look so scared for?"

Jason coughed and cleared his throat before smiling awkwardly "You're imagining things haha. This is just my tired look."

Jason looked around but didn't see Tyreek anywhere "Uh where's Tyreek?" Shania answered "He ain't here I took the bus."

Jason was even more confused 'Why the hell would she be here without Tyreek?' Shania had done everything in her power to avoid Jason ever since she lost the bet against him.

But what she said next caught him even more off guard "I came by myself cause I needed to see you. There's somethin we gotta talk about."

Jason gulped 'Please don't tell me they're having more problems. It's not that I don't like helping but I really just want to focus on ball!'

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