A Brutal Block Smacked Right onto His Head

Bang... bang... bang...

Shohoku's offense failed, and Miuradai gained possession, formally launching a counterattack under Wu Yufei's lead.

"Tch... Get back on defense!"

Though Akagi was deeply annoyed at being beaten in his strongest area, he did not hesitate for long and immediately directed his team to retreat.

The moment Wu Yufei grabbed the rebound, Miyagi Ryota tried to steal it back on the spot. Unfortunately, he failed and could only follow his teammates back to defend their own half.

Wu Yufei did not organize a fast break. Shohoku had gotten back on defense too quickly, so it was safer to patiently run a half-court offense.

By the time Wu Yufei steadily brought the ball into the frontcourt, his teammates had all taken their positions.

Swish!

"Hm?"

The next moment, seeing the person standing in front of him, Wu Yufei paused slightly before a fierce fighting spirit surfaced on his face.

Rukawa Kaede had stepped forward to guard Wu Yufei himself!

"Tch. I should have been the one dealing with that guy. Rukawa Kaede always likes stealing the spotlight."

Standing beside Murasame Kengo, Miyagi Ryota spoke with a touch of displeasure.

However, having Rukawa mark Wu Yufei on defense was Coach Anzai's decision, so Miyagi could only complain about it verbally.

"Come on!"

Rukawa lowered his center of gravity and assumed the most standard defensive stance in front of Wu Yufei.

"Then I won't hold back!"

Wu Yufei replied as he raised his left hand and signaled to his teammates.

Seeing this, the rest of Miuradai's players pulled their Shohoku matchups toward the wings, clearing space in the middle for Wu Yufei.

The game had only just begun, and the two teams' ace players were already eager to go one-on-one?

Seeing the shift on the court, the spectators in the stands immediately grew excited and loudly cheered for the side they supported.

Bang... bang... bang!!

The next second, Wu Yufei burst forward and took a long step toward Rukawa Kaede's left.

"!!"

Rukawa knew full well that Wu Yufei definitely had another move prepared, but if he showed no reaction at that instant, Wu Yufei would turn the feint into a real drive and break through.

With no other choice, Rukawa slid to his left, though he still left himself as much room to react as possible.

Just as he had predicted, the instant Wu Yufei saw Rukawa shift, he came to a sudden stop and switched hands through his legs. Halting his forward momentum, he changed direction in an instant and forced his way into Shohoku's paint from Rukawa's right.

Although Rukawa had been prepared, he still could not keep up with Wu Yufei's change of direction. The other four Shohoku players had also been drawn outside by their matchups, leaving nothing but open road in front of Wu Yufei.

Rukawa spun around and gave chase, while Sakuragi Hanamichi used his sharp instincts to slip past Ohno Kazuki and rush back into his own paint, intending to double-team Wu Yufei with Rukawa.

[All three are first-year rookies who have shone brilliantly this year. Which side will win?]

The instant the three of them jumped at once, the spectators in the stands, the players from every team, and even the reporters at the press table all widened their eyes, unwilling to miss a single moment of what came next.

In midair, facing Sakuragi Hanamichi's hand coming from the side and Rukawa Kaede's hand coming from behind, Wu Yufei showed no panic. He twisted his body forcefully in the air and used a double-clutch to evade both of their blocks.

Bang...

The next moment, Sakuragi Hanamichi collided with Wu Yufei in midair. Yet Wu Yufei quickly steadied himself and continued with a forceful layup.

Swish!

The basketball spun steadily into the hoop.

"What?!"

Sakuragi Hanamichi's eyes widened. He had not expected that even fouling Wu Yufei would fail to stop him from scoring.

[I already crashed into him. That still didn't affect his touch?]

After landing, Sakuragi stared at Wu Yufei in disbelief.

The referee's whistle sounded immediately. Wu Yufei's basket counted, and he received one free throw.

"Hehe, thanks, Sakuragi."

Wu Yufei turned around and said to Sakuragi with a smile.

"Grr... You damn Chinese brat! I won't let you off!!"

How could Sakuragi endure such teasing? He instantly went berserk.

Fortunately, Akagi Gorilla arrived in time and suppressed Sakuragi, preventing him from doing anything even more embarrassing.

Swish!

Wu Yufei easily made the free throw, allowing Miuradai to extend its lead to three points.

Now it was Shohoku's possession.

"All right, everyone, don't rush. Let's play steadily and get a basket first!"

Miyagi Ryota dribbled the ball forward while raising a hand to calm his team.

After reaching the frontcourt, Wu Yufei continued pressuring Miyagi as aggressively as he had on the previous possession, preventing him from passing easily.

With his passing lanes disrupted by Wu Yufei, Miyagi could only choose another method he excelled at: a hard drive!

Having made up his mind, Miyagi immediately drove hard. At that moment, his advantages as a smaller player were fully displayed.

Wu Yufei considered himself a capable defender, but against the eel-like Miyagi, he held on stubbornly for only a few seconds before Miyagi ultimately slipped smoothly into Miuradai's paint.

Ohno Kazuki immediately came over to help defend. Before the game, Wu Yufei had specifically told him that Sakuragi Hanamichi's effective range extended no farther than the paint. As long as Sakuragi was outside the paint, he could leave him completely open!

Meanwhile, when Miyagi Ryota saw Ohno Kazuki rotate over to defend him, he decisively bounced the ball to the unguarded Sakuragi Hanamichi.

"Sakuragi! Use that move!"

Miyagi shouted.

"Oh, oh!! Don't worry, Ryo!"

Sakuragi caught the pass cleanly, then charged straight toward Miuradai's basket.

Seeing this, Naito Tetsuya immediately abandoned Akagi and lunged toward Sakuragi Hanamichi, refusing to give him enough room for a running start and buildup.

The instant one foot stepped on the edge of the paint, Sakuragi directly raised the basketball as though he were about to shoot from that spot.

[Sakuragi Hanamichi's effective range is the paint!]

Wu Yufei's words echoed in Naito's mind as well.

[He's going to shoot!!]

"Haah!"

Naito immediately leaped high, ready to give Sakuragi Hanamichi a massive block.

Yet after he jumped, he discovered that Sakuragi had not jumped to shoot at all. Instead, he had pulled the basketball back to his chest.

A fake?!

"It's the fake taught personally by Ryota!!"

"That was so cool, Sakuragi Hanamichi!!"

At the sideline, several Shohoku players on the bench instantly jumped up in excitement at that moment.

The next moment, Sakuragi easily got around the airborne Naito Tetsuya and charged straight beneath Miuradai's basket.

"Haah!!"

He roared as he jumped, gripping the basketball firmly in his right hand and raising it high.

He was going for a dunk!

But the next moment, another roaring dark figure appeared from Sakuragi Hanamichi's side.

"Roar!!"

With the same roar, Wu Yufei viciously slapped the basketball in Sakuragi's hand. The ball crashed violently into the backboard from the sheer force and bounced away.

"What a beautiful rejection."

In the stands, even someone as calm as Sendoh could not help exclaiming in admiration at that vicious chasedown block against the backboard.

"Having two straight offensive possessions ended by blocks like that will deal quite a blow to Shohoku's morale."

Coach Taoka, meanwhile, had noticed something deeper.

Yet the situation on the court changed in an instant. Though Wu Yufei had forcefully ended Sakuragi's confident dunk attempt with a block, Miyagi Ryota was the first to grab the loose ball.

Shohoku still had a chance!