The atmosphere on the court was so tense it seemed thick enough to wring water from.
Ever since Hainan sent Miyagi Yoshinori onto the court, Shohoku had somehow fallen into a passive disadvantage.
And the key to the problem lay with Sakuragi Hanamichi.
Miyagi Yoshinori's defensive assignment was to keep a close eye on Sakuragi Hanamichi.
However, looking at the short, frail-looking Miyagi Yoshinori in front of him, Sakuragi Hanamichi naturally began to look down on him. He could not bring himself to take him seriously at all.
That moment of carelessness gave Hainan a chance to widen the gap.
Sakuragi Hanamichi kept making mistake after mistake on the court. The score had originally been separated by only four points, but the stalemate between Shohoku and Hainan was gradually being broken.
As time passed, Shohoku's slight deficit steadily grew.
With only five minutes remaining before halftime, the gap between the two teams had already reached ten points.
At that moment, the electronic scoreboard clearly displayed: Shohoku 24, Hainan 34.
Shohoku's bench.
Coach Anzai suddenly broke the silence and said in a deep voice, "Qing Junce, start warming up!"
Hearing the coach's order, Qing Junce stood up without the slightest hesitation and began warming up in an orderly fashion.
The commotion from Qing Junce immediately drew the attention of everyone from Hainan.
Their eyes held both wariness and a trace of unease.
Meanwhile, in the reporters' section beside the court.
Aida Yayoi keenly caught the scene. She quickly picked up her camera and snapped several photos in rapid succession.
Excitement flashed in her eyes as she murmured, "Looks like Shohoku is finally sending Qing Junce onto the court. Next will be a showdown between the aces of the two teams. I wonder how it will turn out?"
At the same time,