Ryonan Battle (3)

"Hah!!"

Facing Sendoh, who stood in his way, Wu Yufei unleashed all the strength he had stored up, shoving him aside before raising his right arm, which held the basketball, high into the air and smashing it toward the hoop behind him.

Boom—!!

The sound of the brutal dunk echoed throughout the arena. For a moment, every spectator held their breath and turned to look at the referee.

Was it a good basket? Or a foul?

Tweet—!

The referee gave the answer in the next instant.

"Blue Number 7, blocking foul! Basket counts, and one free throw!!"

Whoosh—!!!

The instant the referee finished his call, the entire arena erupted into cheers.

"That was incredible!! You hardly ever see a poster dunk like that even in professional games, right?"

"Is that black Number 10 really just a high school student?"

"How high did he jump just now? At least a meter, right?"

"How could this happen... Even Sendoh..."

On Ryonan's bench, Aida Hikoichi slumped back onto the bench as though all the air had been let out of him.

The ace the whole team relied on had been overpowered and dunked on right in front of him.

Although that basket only increased Miuradai's lead by two points, the change it brought to the momentum on the court far surpassed its numerical value.

In the original story, Kiyota Nobunaga had powered through Uozumi and dunked over his head, directly sounding the horn for Kainan's counterattack. Kainan then erased more than ten points in just a few minutes. The principle was the same.

The difference was that unlike Kainan in the original story, Miuradai did not need to erase a deficit. They needed to extend their lead!

At 4:18, Koshino Hiroaki missed a mid-range jumper, and Naito Tetsuya outmuscled Uozumi for the defensive rebound. Miuradai immediately launched a counterattack.

After receiving the pass, Wu Yufei accelerated toward Ryonan's half. He worked a three-on-two play with Ishiyama Jun and Murasame Kengo, then assisted Murasame as he cut straight to the basket for a layup.

At 4:36, Wu Yufei brought the ball up to the frontcourt at an unhurried pace. Once his teammates got into position, he called for Naito in the paint to come out and set a screen for him.

Miuradai's favorite pick-and-roll worked again, but this time it was not Naito rolling to the basket who got the assist. It was Ishiyama Jun, left wide open at mid-range. He caught the ball and ruthlessly knocked down another two points.

At 4:58, Wu Yufei did not call for another pick-and-roll. Instead, he attacked Sendoh head-on. After a series of crossovers threw Sendoh off balance, he charged into the paint, shook Fukuda Kiccho and Uozumi with consecutive snake steps, and made the floater.

At 5:25, Koshino caught Sendoh's pass and forced his way up for a layup, only for Wu Yufei to pin it against the backboard. Miuradai broke out in transition, and Wu Yufei ultimately pierced Ryonan's defense with an ultra-long direct pass, assisting Murasame on a spinning floater.

Miuradai's offense grew smoother and smoother, while Ryonan had fallen completely into a vicious cycle of struggling to defend and desperately trying to make up points.

By the eighth minute of the first half, the score had reached Miuradai 26:17 Ryonan. Miuradai was just one step away from pushing the gap into double digits!

And they would take that step on this possession, because Miuradai had the ball!

Wu Yufei protected the ball in the frontcourt while observing his teammates' positions.

He knew exactly how important this basket was. Although a nine-point lead and an eleven-point lead did not look that different, the impact on the players' mentality was considerable.

This could very well be the last straw that broke the camel's back!

In the end, Wu Yufei chose the safest way to run this possession—calling for a pick-and-roll!

Since Ryonan could not deal with this tactic, why not squeeze every ounce of power out of it?

Ohno Kazuki once again came out to the perimeter and positioned himself beside Sendoh.

Wu Yufei drove to the right, successfully getting past Sendoh and entering Ryonan's paint.

However, just as he was about to continue past Fukuda, he discovered that the man in front of him was not Fukuda, but Uozumi!

"Hmph!! I've already seen through your tricks!! Don't even think about getting through here!"

Uozumi roared with fierce intensity.

Heh... You think putting the Monkey Boss on me will stop me? How naive!

Uozumi's presence was naturally on an entirely different level from Fukuda's, but what Uozumi excelled at was dealing with opponents' high passes and shots.

Yet when Wu Yufei drove, it made little difference to him whether Fukuda or Uozumi was guarding him!

Bang!!

Before Sendoh could rotate back to help, Wu Yufei drove straight at the Monkey Boss. He crossed over on the spot, switched the ball to his left hand, and instantly stepped toward Uozumi's left.

"Urgh!!"

The Monkey Boss reacted quickly, sliding sideways to block Wu Yufei's path.

But that was also within Wu Yufei's calculations.

If Uozumi did not defend, then Wu Yufei would turn the fake into a real move and drive right. But if Uozumi reacted in time, then...

Bang!!

He came to an abrupt stop, instantly halting his forward drive. Then he switched the ball to his right hand through his legs, adjusted his entire body in the same motion, accelerated out of the move, and completed the change of direction!

"What?!"

Uozumi clearly could not drag his massive body through the same series of rapid changes of direction as Wu Yufei, and he fell flat onto the floor.

Uozumi had been shaken to the ground?!

The spectators in the stands erupted in shock once more.

"So fast!"

After getting past Uozumi, Wu Yufei drove straight into Ryonan's restricted area, violently pushed off the floor, and rose as if to attempt a floater.

"Hahhh!!!"

Fukuda Kiccho charged in from the side, leaping high as he stretched out his long arm to block Wu Yufei.

"Heh..."

Seeing Fukuda's movement, Wu Yufei chuckled softly. He pulled the ball back, then passed it behind his back.

Slap!!

Naito Tetsuya firmly secured the basketball.

At that moment, no one could stop the former football standout once he had fully gathered himself.

Naito Tetsuya roared as he leaped up, his hands nearly squeezing the basketball out of shape!

Boom—!!

Dunking was the safest way to score, especially for someone like Naito Tetsuya, who possessed explosive athleticism but comparatively rough technique. It was their favorite method of scoring.

Tweet—!!

"Ryonan requests a timeout!!"

The gap had been pushed into double digits, and the disadvantage had grown too great for Coach Taoka to accept. He decisively called a timeout, giving his players a chance to calm down.

On the other side, Miuradai's players returned to the bench with excitement and exhilaration written all over their faces.

They had originally thought this match would be a hard battle and that Ryonan would be a tough bone to chew.

But now, last year's prefectural top-four team did not seem like much. They were definitely stronger than the previous opponents, but had they not still been pushed into a double-digit deficit before even ten minutes had passed in the first half?

Perhaps even Kainan could...

Miuradai's players had already begun to get carried away, as though victory was already in the bag. It was not just the players on the bench; even starters like Murasame Kengo and Ishiyama Jun wore relaxed expressions.

"Everyone, don't let your guard down! The game has only been going on for less than ten minutes, and we've only just pushed the gap into double digits. If you think victory is secure already, you'll definitely suffer once this timeout ends!"

Seeing his teammates acting as if they had already won, Wu Yufei frowned and spoke up.

"Yufei is right. The game has only just begun, and Ryonan still has more than enough strength to fight back. If anyone thinks the game is already over and they don't need to give it their all, tell me now. I'll take them out immediately and let them rest!"

Coach Harada backed Wu Yufei up from the side, sternly warning the players.

Seeing the attitude of both their coach and ace, Miuradai's players quickly wiped the relaxed looks off their faces and replaced them with serious expressions.

"Good! That's the look I want. Completely forget that we're already leading by eleven points! Once the timeout ends, treat it as if both sides are back at the same starting line. Give it everything you've got on offense!"

"Yes!!!" XN

The entire team answered their coach with a roar.

On the other side, Coach Taoka had also successfully rallied the troops who had been on the verge of collapse. Ryonan's players returned to the court with murderous intensity.

Tweet—!

Play resumed. Miuradai 28:17 Ryonan. Ryonan had possession.

Sendoh and Wu Yufei locked horns on the perimeter, while the other Ryonan players ran desperately, trying to tear apart Miuradai's defense.

Murasame Kengo stepped forward to help Wu Yufei trap Sendoh, but it gave Koshino Hiroaki an opportunity to slip along the baseline.

Sendoh did not hesitate. In the final second before the trap closed in, he passed the ball to Koshino Hiroaki, who had already run to the baseline.

Catch, set, jump, release. The motion was beautiful and fluid.

Swish!!

"Yeah!!"

"What a beautiful three-pointer!!"

Ryonan's bench immediately erupted in cheers.

Koshino Hiroaki also pumped his fist hard, venting the frustration of having been suppressed for so long.

"Don't panic. It's only one three-pointer."

Wu Yufei calmly brought the ball up, soothing his slightly restless teammates as he did so.

Once he reached the frontcourt, Wu Yufei launched another forceful drive, looking ready to rely on his speed and physical advantage to power through Sendoh and force his way into the paint.

Sendoh did not dare be careless. As he watched to see whether Wu Yufei's movement was real or fake, he quietly shifted half a step backward.

However, Wu Yufei noticed Sendoh's subtle movement and played along, abruptly stopping and stepping back, instantly returning beyond the three-point line.

Damn!

Sendoh inwardly cried out in alarm and hurried forward.

But Wu Yufei did not give Sendoh even half a second to recover. He shot immediately.

Clang!!

The sound of iron thundered through the arena.

"Ah."

Wu Yufei let out a heavy sigh. His form had clearly been perfect, and his release had been fast. Although Sendoh had jumped high, he had not even touched the ball. Missing it could only mean his luck was bad.

The instant the clang rang out, the two humanoid beasts beneath the basket began fighting for position.

Naito Tetsuya was stronger, but his technique for gaining position was inferior to Uozumi's.

"Hahhh!!"

Uozumi, who had claimed the best position first, leaped up and pulled down the rebound.

"Watch out, Captain!!"

Before Uozumi could even warm the ball in his hands, Sendoh's cry reached his ears.

Slap!!

Without giving Uozumi time to react, the basketball slipped from his control in the next instant.

"At least give me a chance to make up for my mistake, right?"

Wu Yufei's teasing voice rang out.

The basketball was already under his control.

"Here, Yufei!!"

Ishiyama Jun had shaken off Uekusa Tomoyuki at the baseline and stood at the spot where his shooting percentage was highest.

Bang!

Wu Yufei spotted the opening and fired a bounce pass over.

Catch, set, jump, release!

A textbook shooting motion.

Swish!!

Yes, Wu Yufei had made excellent use of this opportunity, successfully making up for the embarrassment of his earlier miss.