CHAPTER 12 — "The Grind Game"
PAGE 1
Opening panel: gloomy, steel-toned gym in Channel City. No crowd. No music. Just squeaking sneakers and the echo of grunts.
NARRATION:
No lights. No flair. No mercy.
This ain't a show.
Welcome to Channel City—home of the Bruisers.
PAGE 2
Rockaway arrives at the Channel City Rec Complex.
They pass by lifters, boxers, and grim-eyed hoopers.
MITCH (to Quan):
"They ain't here to play. They here to punish."
QUAN:
"Good. So are we."
PAGE 3
Starting lineups introduced.
Channel City's starters look like they just left the weight room.
PF built like a linebacker.
C with a face mask and biceps the size of thighs.
Guards rocking mouthpieces during warmups.
COMMENTATOR:
"Every screen feels like a car crash. Every cut is a war zone."
PAGE 4–5
Game begins.
Soulo gets full-court pressed, bodied hard—no foul.
Mitch tries to post up but gets two arms in his back.
Picaso takes a screen that sends him flying.
Rockaway is clearly rattled.
COACH (timeout):
"They wanna knock us off rhythm. So… we change the rhythm."
PAGE 6–7
Adjustment time:
Soulo starts baiting defenders with stop-and-go tempo.
Tabar slows the offense, calling out plays—controls the floor.
Mitch and Quan fight back with raw muscle: rebounds, putbacks, hard fouls returned.
MITCH (smirking after getting fouled):
"You're gonna have to hit harder than that."
PAGE 8–9
Second half begins. Bench unit checks in.
Eli uses his athleticism to split traps and finish through contact.
Leo gets into the body of Channel's SF, drawing fouls.
Magic uses positioning to box out bigger players, calmly hitting mid-range shots.
COMMENTATOR:
"Rockaway's bench is brain over brawn—and it's working."
PAGE 10
Sticks hits a deep contested 3.
Teddy pulls a pick-and-pop jumper.
Rockaway goes up 5.
CHANNEL CITY CAPTAIN (growling):
"You got heart... but we got hands."
PAGE 11–12
Fourth quarter war:
Bodies fly.
Elbows connect.
Sweat everywhere.
Quan blocks a dunk attempt so hard it echoes.
Tabar euro-steps through two defenders and finishes with a reverse.
Soulo dives on the floor to save a possession, flipping it to Mitch for a dunk.
PAGE 13
Final possession. Channel City down 2.
They isolate on the block.
Mitch holds his ground.
Spin move—blocked by Quan at the buzzer!
BUZZER: Rockaway survives 71–69
PAGE 14
Rockaway limps back to the locker room.
Sweaty. Bruised. But smiling.
LEO:
"We just brawled in the basement."
ELI:
"And left with the rent."
PAGE 15
Tease panel
Next up: Inwood City
Where range rules, and shooters reign.
NEXT: "Welcome to the Sniper Zone"