Qing Junce brushed past Miyagi Ryota on his way back on defense.
Qing Junce glanced at Miyagi Ryota, and the meaning was obvious.
"You bastard." Miyagi Ryota's face flushed slightly. He wanted to say something, but for a moment, he had no idea how to open his mouth. All he could do was accept Qing Junce's mocking gaze with a mixture of anger and helplessness.
The second floor of the arena.
The excitement Aida Yayoi had felt at seeing such a talented player was gone from her face.
At this moment, her eyes held nothing but shock and horror.
She looked at Qing Junce below, unable to find the words to describe how she felt.
After a long while, she finally blurted out, "Kanagawa is about to change."
At this moment, only the final 17 seconds remained before halftime.
Because of Qing Junce, the Miuradai players' mental pressure was growing crazily.
With only a dozen seconds left, they no longer planned to attack. They intended to drag things out until halftime.
They needed to adjust their mentality first.
Qing Junce, however, would not care how they felt.
As Miuradai passed the ball, perhaps because the mental pressure was too great, Araki Kazuo made a mistake while receiving it, and the basketball slipped from his hands.
Seeing this, Miyagi Ryota immediately reached for the ball.
But Araki Kazuo reacted quickly and tried to salvage the situation.
The two of them touched the basketball almost simultaneously. The ball then bounced away beyond their control.
What was more, it flew straight toward the sideline.
At this point, only five seconds remained before the end of the game.
Miyagi Ryota and Araki Kazuo both tacitly chose not to chase after it.
Miyagi Ryota felt there was no need.
Araki Kazuo felt that this was perfect for dragging things out until the end of the game.
But neither of them had expected that, just as the basketball was about to fly out of bounds—
A streak of white light flashed before their eyes and then vanished.
After the white light disappeared, the basketball vanished along with it.
Miyagi Ryota and Araki Kazuo's pupils both contracted at the sight.
Instinctively, they thought of the same person.
But their thoughts were completely different.
Miyagi Ryota thought: Holy crap, the basketball disappeared. It must be that guy again. He's incredible!
Araki Kazuo thought: Holy crap, the basketball disappeared. It must be that guy again. We're screwed!
Bang...
Bang...
Bang...
The sound of the basketball hitting the floor rang out repeatedly. Every impact seemed to strike the hearts of the Miuradai players.
The seconds ticked away.
Although the Miuradai players reacted a little late, they immediately sprinted back on defense.
Murasame Kengo's face was filled with anxiety and horror as he shouted at his teammates, "Get back on defense! We absolutely can't let him make this shot!"
Fortunately, Miuradai's Kawasaki Akio and Takatsu Hiroshi were close to their own half and made it back before Qing Junce attacked.
The two focused intently, spreading their arms wide as they stared at Qing Junce rapidly approaching.
With three seconds remaining before halftime, Qing Junce had already reached the two of them.
Qing Junce looked at them, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
He suddenly stopped short, going from Max to zero in an instant.
In Kawasaki Akio and Takatsu Hiroshi's eyes, it looked like a skipped frame, making the scene feel utterly unreal.
Qing Junce immediately changed direction, switching the basketball from his right hand to his left. Then he spun 180 degrees counterclockwise, turning to their right and breaking through.
A trace of panic flashed through Kawasaki Akio and Takatsu Hiroshi's eyes. Their bodies hurriedly reacted, trying to stop Qing Junce at the last moment.
Takatsu Hiroshi chased directly after Qing Junce from behind.
Kawasaki Akio, meanwhile, chose to intercept him from the front.
For a moment, Qing Junce was sandwiched between them, one in front and one behind.
At this point, two seconds remained before halftime.
There was not the slightest trace of panic on Qing Junce's face.
He simply leaped into the air right in the middle of their double-team.
Kawasaki Akio and Takatsu Hiroshi also leaped after him, one in front and one behind, trapping Qing Junce firmly between them.
Everyone who saw this was dumbfounded.
"Is he crazy? Passing would be the safest choice in this situation! There's no need to force a shot!" Koshino Hiroaki said, baffled.
Uekusa Tomoyuki frowned. "Could he really be that confident he can make it?"
Ikegami Ryoji said, "If he can pass this ball to Mitsui Hisashi, there's a very good chance they can tie the score."
"That guy shouldn't do anything unless he's confident," Sendoh analyzed calmly.
His thoughts differed from everyone else's.
But to some extent, he could understand. Someone as strong as Qing Junce would not do something meaningless.
He was the same way.
That was the pride and confidence ingrained in the bones of truly skilled players.
On the other side.
Aida Yayoi also analyzed the situation. "That was too reckless. He actually let himself get surrounded in midair. If he had passed the ball before being trapped, Shohoku might have had a chance to score again before the game ended."
At this moment, only one second remained before halftime.
While still in midair, Qing Junce immediately attempted a shot.
Kawasaki Akio and Takatsu Hiroshi hurriedly stretched out their arms, completely sealing off every possible shooting path.
Just then, Qing Junce's arm collided with Kawasaki Akio's.
The next moment, Qing Junce pulled the basketball back. His body curled up and tilted toward the right.
He then supported the ball with one hand and extended it from the right, avoiding the area sealed off by Kawasaki Akio and Takatsu Hiroshi.
Qing Junce swung his arm and tossed the basketball toward the hoop, which Kawasaki Akio was blocking.
He released the ball from an extremely unbalanced and abnormal posture.
At that exact moment, the timer reached zero.
Beep...
The referee's whistle sounded as well.
But no one was looking at that anymore.
Every eye was fixed on the basketball flying through the air.
With everyone watching, the basketball struck Miuradai's backboard, then bounced off the inside of the rim. It hopped once along the rim before finally dropping into the basket.
Swish...
Shohoku 43–44 Miuradai.
Everyone was left open-mouthed in shock.
Beep...
Before the spectators could cheer, another whistle temporarily steadied their surging excitement.
The referee pointed at Kawasaki Akio and announced loudly, "Miuradai No. 8, shooting foul. The basket counts, and one free throw."
Boom...
For a moment, everyone in the arena looked as if they had been struck by lightning.
A shooting foul, plus one free throw.
Qing Junce had actually scored a buzzer-beating 2+1.
And he had done it while being double-teamed.
After a brief silence, the entire arena erupted once more in thunderous cheers and shouts.
"Whoa! It's a 2+1!"
"Unbelievable! That was incredible!"
"He still made the shot in that situation! How did he do it?"
"He must have lost his balance just now, right?"
"It was luck, wasn't it? He clearly just tossed the ball up!"
"No matter what, that was an amazing shot."
The Ryonan players, who had previously felt that Qing Junce had handled the play poorly, now stood with their mouths slightly open, staring blankly.
They never could have imagined that the play would result in a 2+1.
Aida Kenichi was practically going crazy.
His eyes were wide, and he was so excited that his entire body trembled. "That shot was incredible! He managed to make a move like that while being trapped between two defenders!"
Sendoh had not expected this outcome either.
It was truly beyond his expectations.
He had already thought highly of Qing Junce.
He had never imagined that he had still underestimated him.
Qing Junce simply could not be judged by common sense.
"Was that shot just now luck, or..." A trace of unease suddenly surged through Sendoh's heart.
Qing Junce always gave him an indescribable sense of incongruity.
But no matter what it was, he could never figure it out.
He was not the only one who felt that way.
Anyone with a keen sense for basketball felt the same.
For example, Aida Yayoi, whose camera shutter was clicking nonstop.
The players from both teams who had just competed, as well as everyone on the benches.
And Maki Shinichi, silently watching the game from a corner on the second floor.
Maki Shinichi's gaze locked onto Qing Junce.
He had actually felt a strange pressure radiating from Qing Junce.
After a long while, he finally looked away.
"Shohoku's No. 9?" Maki Shinichi murmured before turning and disappearing into the tunnel.
Swish...
The sound of the basketball brushing through the net rang out.
Qing Junce casually made the free throw.
Shohoku scored another point.
Shohoku 44–44 Miuradai.
Shohoku versus Miuradai ended the first half in a tie.
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