A Narrow Defeat

"Whew... The road to the National Tournament really is tough."

Sendoh braced both hands on his knees, panting as he spoke with a bitter smile.

The game between Kainan and Ryonan had reached the seventeenth minute of the second half. The score was now Kainan 75, Ryonan 69.

Sendoh was exhausted. Fukuda was exhausted. Uozumi was exhausted...

A Maki was exhausted too, as were Kiyota, Takasago, Jin...

At this point in the game, nobody was not tired, but everyone was holding onto a stubborn breath of determination.

Sendoh had already recorded a triple-double. His performance had been flawless. Fukuda had also scored 28 points and done everything he possibly could.

They were outstanding, but unfortunately, the people across from them were even better.

"The National Tournament isn't somewhere you can get into just because you feel like it."

A Maki, who was guarding Sendoh, heard his murmur and spoke calmly.

"Heh..."

Sendoh smiled again.

"But even so..."

Sendoh's smile vanished as he lowered his center of gravity, like a cheetah poised to explode into a hunt.

"I still want to take my teammates out there and see the world beyond Kanagawa!"

Bang!!

The next second, Sendoh burst forward, taking a huge step toward A Maki's right side.

"!!"

A Maki reacted immediately, keeping close as he tried to stop him.

Yet just as A Maki reached a position where he could cut Sendoh off, Sendoh came to an abrupt stop. Then, using A Maki as support, he spun and took another long stride, slipping past A Maki in an instant and successfully breaking into Kainan's paint.

Before Takasago and Muto could move in to stop him, Sendoh was already airborne, using Immortal Guides the Way for a finger-roll layup.

As the ball swished through the net, Sendoh turned and rushed back to defend his own half.

At 17:32, A Maki brought the ball into the frontcourt, preparing to lob it inside to Takasago.

Slap!!

Sendoh suddenly darted out and intercepted the ball in midair.

"Let's go!!"

Securing the basketball as he landed, Sendoh put his foot to the floor and raced toward Kainan's half at full speed.

A Maki chased relentlessly from behind, and the two charged all the way into Kainan's paint.

"Beat A Maki, Sendoh!!"

Behind them, Uozumi roared.

"Please! You have to make it!!"

The Ryonan substitutes all shouted from the bench.

"Don't even think about it!!"

The two soared to their highest point, with the basket right before them.

Sendoh made a finger-roll motion, and A Maki immediately swung his hand up to block it.

But just as A Maki was about to get the block, Sendoh switched hands, evading his outstretched palm.

Bang...

The two collided in midair, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of Sendoh's mouth.

This is bad...

A Maki inwardly cried out, but the ball had already flicked from Sendoh's left fingertips toward the hoop.

Swish!

It dropped cleanly.

Beep—!!

The whistle sounded.

"White number four, foul! Basket counts, one free throw!"

The referee's announcement immediately set off cheers from the Ryonan bench and Ryonan supporters in the stands.

"Amazing! Just what you'd expect from Sendoh!!"

"As long as Sendoh is here, we'll be fine!!"

Sendoh scored five straight points, cutting the gap to just one with two minutes remaining. Ryonan's morale instantly soared to its peak.

Sendoh, I admit you've earned the right to compete with me for Kanagawa's top spot. Maybe by your third year, you'll even be stronger than me. But unfortunately, at this very moment, I have no intention of handing that position over!

A Maki drove hard with the ball, breaking into Ryonan's paint and forcing up a layup through Uozumi's defense.

"Captain! Don't foul him!!"

Seeing Uozumi preparing to clash head-on with A Maki, Sendoh immediately shouted.

"Urgh!"

Uozumi remembered that he already had four fouls. He could only raise both hands helplessly, but such defense obviously could not affect A Maki's layup at all. He could only watch as A Maki scored over his head.

Although he failed to complete the three-point play, A Maki still pushed the gap back to three points.

In the final two minutes, both teams chose to trust their respective aces without reservation, handing the responsibility of finishing every possession to A Maki and Sendoh.

Neither of them disappointed their teammates, converting every offensive opportunity they received.

At 19:40 of the second half, Sendoh backed A Maki down from the low post, muscled his way into the paint, then turned for a successful floater, pulling Ryonan back within one point.

Twenty seconds remained. If they could stop Kainan on this possession and then hit the game-winner, Ryonan would claim this precious victory and preserve their chance of advancing to the National Tournament.

"Defense! Defense!! Defense!!!"

Ryonan's supporters shouted at the top of their lungs.

The Ryonan players understood the importance of this possession as well. They squeezed out what little stamina they had left and defended desperately.

Coach Taoka also knew the significance of getting this stop. He decisively substituted out the defensive liability Fukuda and sent in defensive specialist Ikegami Ryoji, ordering him to stick to Jin Soichiro and never let him get open.

"Don't panic! We're ahead, so control the ball properly!!"

Koto Riki roared from the sideline as well, reminding his players.

Sendoh pressed A Maki tightly, denying him any easy chance to pass or drive.

Suddenly, Wu Yufei in the stands noticed that Ikegami Ryoji had decisively abandoned Jin Soichiro—the most dangerous threat in front of him—and sprinted toward A Maki, who was several steps away!

What an opportunity!!

A Maki had all his attention fixed on Sendoh and had not noticed Ikegami Ryoji at all!

"Captain, watch out!!"

Jin shouted toward A Maki.

Slap!

But it was already too late. Ikegami decisively struck, knocking the basketball out of A Maki's hands.

What?!

A Maki was shocked.

The next second, he heard a swish. Sendoh had already flashed past him, seized the basketball, and instantly accelerated to MAX speed as he sprinted toward Kainan's basket.

A Maki immediately turned and gave chase, reaching a position nearly parallel to Sendoh two seconds later.

It was almost exactly like their previous showdown. After charging into the paint, the two jumped at the same time again.

Sendoh gripped the basketball in his right hand, raised it high, and viciously slammed it toward the hoop.

No... If I were Sendoh...

A Maki was about to block it when a sudden chill ran through him.

The next second, A Maki gave up on the block and watched helplessly as Sendoh completed the dunk.

79:80. With only eight seconds left in the game, Ryonan had finally taken the lead!

Roar—!!

The arena instantly erupted with a wave of sound powerful enough to blow the roof off.

"Amazing! Absolutely amazing!!"

"We won! We finally beat the reigning champions, Kainan!!"

On the bench, Aida Hikoichi embraced several fellow substitutes, weeping with joy.

"Get back on defense!!"

Yet Sendoh showed no joy at all. He shouted as he turned and ran back toward his own half.

Eight seconds remained, and eight seconds were enough for Kainan to do many things.

"Offense! Offense!! Hurry up and attack!!!"

Koto Riki shouted furiously. At his feet lay the remains of a second folding fan he had snapped apart.

A Maki did not dare waste a single second. He quickly pushed toward the frontcourt, while Ryonan's players immediately picked up their respective matchups and pressed hard, striving to run out the final seconds.

Naturally, Sendoh stayed glued to A Maki, constantly applying pressure.

Seven...

A Maki showed no panic despite the game nearing its end. Coach Takato's roars from the sideline had been automatically filtered out. At this moment, A Maki felt calmer than ever before.

Six...

Bang!!

Spotting a subtle opening that Sendoh had inadvertently exposed, A Maki seized the chance. After using an early crossover to deceive his opponent, he exploded forward on the very next instant.

Five...

Sendoh chased desperately behind A Maki, while Ryonan's other players immediately abandoned their own assignments and retreated toward the paint.

Four...

Ryonan's players had completed their retreat, faintly forming an encirclement around A Maki.

This was a three-on-one... No, a four-on-one!

"Don't give him a chance to pass!! Four seconds left, hold on!!"

Coach Taoka shouted from the sideline without caring about his image.

Three...

A Maki remained calm as still water, his eyes constantly scanning Sendoh in front of him and both sides of the court.

The next moment, he saw Jin.

At the same time, Ikegami Ryoji noticed that Jin Soichiro had somehow reached the perfect three-point spot at the left forty-five-degree angle.

Jin Soichiro wore his trademark smile, his hands already set to catch and shoot.

This is bad!!

Ikegami Ryoji was horrified and hurried toward Jin.

Bang!!

But the ball was clearly faster than a person. When Ikegami Ryoji was still two steps away from Jin, A Maki's pass had already reached Jin's hands.

Two...

"Jin-senpai! Shoot!!"

Kiyota Nobunaga shouted.

"Whew..."

Jin softly exhaled, then rose into the air with incredible lightness.

His arm extended naturally, his wrist snapped, his fingers flicked.

One...

Facing the basketball already in flight, Ikegami Ryoji could only jump with all his might. But the ball had already passed his fingertips first and flew toward the hoop.

For a moment, every spectator in the arena held their breath, afraid that they might somehow affect the three-pointer.

Less than one second felt as long as a century to everyone present.

Clang!!

The basketball crashed heavily against the rim, the sound of iron echoing through the entire court.

"Yes!!"

The Ryonan bench and Ryonan supporters in the stands immediately erupted in cheers.

But the next second, their cheers came to an abrupt stop.

Because the ball that had hit the rim did not bounce outward. Instead, it rolled along the rim once, and then...

Swish!!

Roar—!!

The arena erupted in cheers again, except this time they came from Kainan's bench and Kainan supporters on the other side of the stands.

"Heh heh."

Jin still wore that incomparably confident smile. The moment he released the shot, he knew it was going in!

That was the confidence forged by shooting an unknown number of three-pointers over an entire year.

The next second, his teammates pounced on him, piling onto him one after another.

"That was incredible! Incredible, Jin-senpai!!"

Beep—!

The final buzzer sounded.

The referee did not immediately call for the players from both teams to gather, because he understood that they needed time.

Whether it was Kainan's players celebrating wildly or Ryonan's players crying bitterly.

"Game over! Players from both teams, gather!!"

Only after a full minute did the referee finally announce it.

Having finished celebrating, Kainan's players reined in the excitement and joy on their faces. Likewise, Ryonan's players wiped away their tears, and the two sides stood facing each other at center court.

"The final score is 82 to 80. Kainan University Affiliated High School wins!"

"Thank you for the game!!"

As both teams bowed, the match officially came to an end.

Kainan preserved the dignity of the reigning champions and kept alive their chance to continue competing with Miuradai for the Kanagawa championship.

As for Ryonan, they could only helplessly place their hopes of qualifying on Miuradai defeating Kainan tomorrow, while they themselves had to win big against Shohoku.

They had not reached a complete dead end yet. There was still the faintest sliver of hope.