The Spiders called timeout with just under five minutes remaining, but the damage had already been done.
Coach Leo stood in the huddle, diagramming adjustments with sharp, urgent movements.
His voice stayed calm, but his eyes betrayed him. This wasn't the game he had prepared for. This wasn't the Buffalo he had scouted.
Across the court, the Buffalo gathered quietly.
No shouting.
No chest pounding.
Elias stood at the center of the huddle, sweat rolling down his temples, breathing steady. Victor leaned in close, eyes bright. Santino bounced lightly on his feet, energized.
"We keep doing what we're doing," Elias said. "They're reacting now. That means we're in control."
Coach Fran nodded. "Run through the trio. Read the double. Punish the help."
Joe stood just outside the circle, hands on his knees, listening.
Elias looked at him. "Be ready."
Joe met his eyes and nodded. "I am."
4:58 left — Buffalo by 5
The Spiders came out aggressive, pressing full court. Onald picked up Elias immediately, with Stevern lurking nearby.
Elias didn't rush.
He dribbled deliberately, waited for the trap to commit—then snapped a pass to Victor at midcourt. Victor swung it immediately to Santino, who had already cut behind the defense.
Layup.
Buffalo +2.
The Spiders pushed back. Stevern scored a three pointt. The crowd tried to wake up.
3:55 left — Buffalo by 4
Elias brought the ball up again.
This time, the Spiders doubled him hard at the top. Two bodies. Hands high.
Elias pivoted, calm as stone, and fired the ball cross-court.
Joe caught it in rhythm.
No hesitation.
Three.
The Buffalo bench exploded.
Coach Fran slammed his clipboard against his thigh. Charles rose halfway from his seat. Eliza covered her mouth, eyes wide.
Joe backpedaled, fists clenched.
Buffalo +3.
Coach Leo called another timeout.
The final three minutes felt different now.
The noise in the gym had changed—less confidence, more anxiety.
The Spiders were forcing shots. Onald missed a contested three. Stevern rushed a turnaround jumper but luckly went in.
2:42 left
Elias stole a lazy entry pass—his tenth steal of the night—and immediately slowed the break, waving his teammates forward. He waited until the defense collapsed, then dropped a bounce pass to Santino cutting baseline.
Two points.
Buffalo up now by 7.
The trio moved like they shared one mind.
Victor initiated when Elias was pressured. Santino slipped screens before they were set. Elias orchestrated it all—never forcing, always deciding.
With just under two minutes remaining in the final half, Coach Fran made a decision that stunned even his own bench.
He raised his hand and tapped Nemuel and Ruel on the shoulder.
"You're in," he said.
Elias Moreno looked up, surprised but composed.
Beside him, Tony Mansano, the Buffalo's veteran big man, frowned slightly as his number was called as well.
The trio that had dismantled the Spiders—Elias, Victor, Santino—was suddenly broken.
From his seat near the scorer's table, Charles stiffened. His eyebrows rose in disbelief. He leaned toward Eliza, whispering, "Now?"
Eliza didn't answer.
Charles exhaled slowly and leaned back. He must see something, he told himself. Trust the coach.
The Buffalo still led—but the margin was thin, and the clock was unforgiving.
1:48 remaining
Santino stood at the baseline, cradling the ball for the inbound. The Spiders pressed aggressively, sensing vulnerability.
Santino passed to Nemuel.
Too slow.
Leo exploded into the passing lane, stealing the ball cleanly. In two long strides, he was already ahead of everyone.
Layup.
Easy.
The crowd roared.
Buffalo by 4.
Nemuel slapped his hands together, frustrated, "My bad."
The Spiders were alive now.
1:21 remaining
This time, Victor brought the ball down safely. He swung it to Joe, who had been hot just minutes earlier.
Two defenders closed instantly.
Joe saw Ruel open near the baseline and started the pass—
—but Stevern read it perfectly.
He stepped into the lane and took the ball away.
Another fast break.
Another uncontested layup.
Buffalo by 2.
In less than a minute, the Spiders had erased nearly everything.
The gym was shaking now—fans on their feet, noise crashing down from every corner.
The spark they needed had arrived.
Santino rushed to inbound again, urgency in his movements. He fired the ball to Victor, who managed to cross half court under heavy pressure.
Victor tried to slow things down, signaling a set—but the Spiders' defense tightened like a vice.
Santino set a screen. Victor shook free just enough and kicked the ball to Joe at the wing.
Joe rose.
The shot looked good.
It hit the rim.
And bounced out.
Ruel leapt for the rebound, cocked the ball back for a put-back dunk—
—but a massive hand appeared out of nowhere.
David Rosario.
The Spiders' silent center met Ruel at the summit and swatted the ball violently, sending it backward.
The crowd exploded.
Leo secured the loose ball and immediately pushed forward, calm amid chaos.
He slowed just enough to let the defense collapse, then swung the ball to Stevern trailing behind the arc.
Stevern set his feet.
Released.
The shot hung in the air for a heartbeat—
Swish.
The gym detonated.
From down six, the Spiders now led.
Spiders by 1.
Less than a minute left.
The Buffalo looked rattled.
Nemuel and Joe tried to communicate, but the noise drowned everything. A simple handoff turned into confusion.
The ball slipped free.
Turnover.
Coach Fran clenched his jaw.
On the other end, Leo raised his hand, signaling for a timeout—
then stopped.
He saw Elias standing at the scorer's table, ready to check in.
Leo lowered his hand.
Let it play, he decided.
Leo walked the ball up deliberately, draining precious seconds. He ran a high post set, slipped the ball to Rosario, who finished strong inside.
Spiders up by 3.
20 seconds left.
Coach Fran immediately called timeout.
The arena buzzed as Elias finally stepped back onto the court.
In the huddle, Fran didn't hesitate.
"We go to Joe," he said. "Highest three-point percentage. Trust it."
Joe nodded, breathing hard.
Elias said nothing. He simply listened.
Everything is still possible with 15 seconds left.
Santino took the ball to inbound.
Elias fought through traffic, but two defenders stayed glued to him, arms wide, denying every angle.
Santino scanned desperately.
"Timeout!" he shouted.
But the whistle came too late.
No timeouts remained.
Technical free throw.
Leo stepped to the line.
And sank it.
Spiders now up by 4.
15 seconds remaining.
Elias inbounded this time.
Victor caught. Swung to Joe.
The double-team arrived instantly—exactly as planned by the Spiders.
Seven seconds.
Joe kicked it to Santino.
Five seconds.
Santino fired the ball to Elias, who caught it on the three point area, his nearest defender didn't even tried to stop him.
Elias rose in one fluid motion, and released it quickly.
The shot was pure.
Perfect rotation.
Nothing but net.
Then buzzer sounded.
Game over.
For a moment, Elias stood frozen.
Then he nodded once, slowly.
Final Score:
Spiders = 75
Buffalos = 74
The Spiders celebrated as if they had escaped disaster—because they had.
The Buffalo walked off in silence.
They had been seconds away.
And everyone in the building knew the truth:
The Spiders didn't win because the Buffalo weren't good enough.
They won because the Buffalo ran out of time.