The third-quarter horn was still echoing in the rafters as Coach Gutierrez gathered his team. The lead was eight points, 41-33, but the exhausted, sweat-drenched faces in front of him told the true story: that lead was as fragile as glass. Calamba West had thrown everything at them, and the final ten minutes would be a war of attrition.

"This is it," the coach said, his voice a low, intense hum that commanded their full attention. "Ten minutes to decide everything. They're going to come out desperate. Expect a full-court press. They'll try to isolate Cariño on you, Cedrick. Stay vertical. Don't give him an and-one. Daewoo," he said, tapping the energetic defender on the shoulder as he subbed him in for Gab, "you're in for defense. JC Mejia is their engine right now. You are his shadow. Don't give him an inch of air to breathe. Tristan, Marco, Aiden—be smart with the ball. Value every possession. Play with heart, play for each other."

He looked at each of them. "Now go win this."

The whistle pierced the charged air of the gymnasium. The starting five for the final, decisive quarter—Tristan, Marco, Aiden, Daewoo, and Cedrick—walked onto the court, the roar of the crowd washing over them. The clock started. The final battle had begun.

Calamba West, true to the coach's prediction, came out in a frenzy. Justin Palano broke their press with astonishing speed, collapsed the defense, and kicked out to an open JC Mejia. Despite Daewoo's frantic closeout, Mejia got the shot off—a perfect three-pointer that cut the lead to five.

Dasmariñas 41 — Calamba West 36

On the ensuing possession, the press trapped Marco near the sideline. His desperate pass was picked off by Andrei Vicente, who finished with a quick layup. Just like that, the lead was down to three. The Calamba West fans erupted, smelling blood in the water.

Dasmariñas 41 — Calamba West 38

Tristan took the inbound, his expression a mask of calm amidst the rising storm. Settle down, he thought, his own heartbeat a steady drum. Run the offense. We dictate the pace.

He brought the ball upcourt, using a high screen from Cedrick. He probed the defense, patient, before sliding the ball to Aiden at the elbow. Aiden faced up, took one hard dribble, and elevated for a tough, contested fadeaway jumper. The shot was pure, silencing the crowd and stopping the bleeding.

Dasmariñas 43 — Calamba West 38

The game tightened, the teams trading blows like heavyweight boxers in the final round. Justin Palano answered with a serpentine drive, finishing with a high-arcing floater. Marco hit a clutch jumper from the baseline. Every basket was answered, every defensive stop met with a roar from one side of the gym or the other.

It was Daewoo Kim who provided the spark Dasmariñas desperately needed. He had been hounding JC Mejia relentlessly, a persistent gnat that refused to be swatted away. He read Mejia's eyes, anticipated a pass to the wing, and shot into the lane like a cannonball. His fingertips deflected the ball. He scooped it up in stride and sprinted the length of the court, finishing with a dynamic layup that brought the home crowd to its feet in a wave of sound.

Dasmariñas 47 — Calamba West 42

As he ran back on defense, Marco met him with a fierce fist bump. "That's the energy, Woo! Keep that fire blazing!"

The defensive intensity became contagious. Cedrick, fighting for position against the behemoth MJ Cariño, denied him the entry pass. The ball swung to Andrei Vicente, who drove hard, but Aiden slid over, cutting him off perfectly and forcing a wild, off-balance shot that bricked off the side of the backboard.

"Push!" Aiden yelled, securing the rebound. "Let's keep the momentum!"

With under three minutes to play, the game was balanced on a razor's edge. JC Mejia, finally shaking Daewoo for a split second, knocked down another incredible three-pointer, cutting the lead to just two.

Dasmariñas 51 — Calamba West 49

The crowd was deafening, the pressure immense. On the sideline, Gab Lagman gripped a towel, his knuckles white. "This is it," he muttered to John Manalo beside him. "This is where you find out who really wants it."

John smiled grimly. "We do. No one's backing down."

Tristan ran a pick-and-roll with Cedrick. Cedrick rolled hard to the rim, drawing two defenders and creating space. Tristan pulled up at the free-throw line, his jumper as smooth as it had been in the first quarter. Swish.

Dasmariñas 53 — Calamba West 49

But Justin Palano was a force of nature. He responded immediately, attacking the rim with a ferocity that drew a foul. He calmly sank both free throws.

Dasmariñas 53 — Calamba West 51

One minute remaining. The air was thick enough to chew. Marco drove hard along the baseline, drawing a foul from a desperate defender. He stepped to the line, the entire gym silent for a moment. He took a deep breath, bounced the ball twice, and sank both free throws as if he were shooting alone in an empty gym.

Dasmariñas 55 — Calamba West 51

Calamba West called a timeout. They came out of it with a perfectly executed inside-out play. Palano drove, drew Cedrick away from the basket, and dropped a bounce pass to a cutting MJ Cariño, who laid it in. Four-point game became a two-point game again.

Dasmariñas 55 — Calamba West 53

Twenty-four seconds on the clock. Dasmariñas had possession. Calamba West's defense was suffocating. Tristan was trapped near half-court. He found Aiden, who was immediately double-teamed. With the shot clock winding down, Aiden fired a pass to Cedrick at the top of the key. It was a broken play, but Cedrick, with no other option, took one dribble and fired a shot he rarely takes—a 15-foot jumper.

The ball arced high. Time seemed to slow down. It hit the front of the rim, bounced up, kissed the backboard, and dropped softly through the net. The Dasmariñas crowd exploded in a chaotic symphony of joy.

Dasmariñas 57 — Calamba West 53

Twelve seconds left. Calamba West raced down the court. Palano pulled up from way beyond the arc, a desperation three that was all heart. It banked in. Unbelievable.

Dasmariñas 57 — Calamba West 56

Five seconds. Tristan was fouled immediately on the inbound. He walked to the line for two shots that could seal the game. The pressure was monumental. He made the first.

Dasmariñas 58 — Calamba West 56

He missed the second.

MJ Cariño grabbed the rebound. Three seconds left. He threw a full-court baseball pass to Justin Palano. Palano caught it at the opposite three-point line, turned, and fired as the final horn blared. The shot was on line... but short. It clanged off the front of the rim.

The buzzer sounded.

Final Score: Dasmariñas National High 58 — Calamba West High 56.

The players collapsed where they stood. Exhaustion and overwhelming joy crashed over them in a single, tidal wave of emotion. They had done it. They embraced, a tight circle of brothers in arms, sweat and tears mingling freely.

Coach Gutierrez walked onto the court, a proud, weary smile on his face. "You earned this," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "Every second, every drop of sweat. That's championship heart."

Tristan clutched the game ball, the worn leather cool against his skin, the weight of their victory finally sinking in. He looked at his team, his family.

"We fight together," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "We win together."

As the stadium slowly emptied, the team lingered on the court, savoring a victory earned not just by skill, but by sheer, unyielding grit and unity.

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