"..."
In the stands of Court One at Kanagawa Prefectural Gymnasium, everyone from Shohoku watched the fierce battle unfolding below with rapt attention.
Although they were deeply worried about Coach Anzai in the hospital, they had to finish watching this game, because its outcome would directly determine whether they could advance to the National Tournament.
Down on the court, the game between Miuradai and Kainan had reached the tenth minute of the first half.
Thanks to Wu Yufei's brilliant performance in the first two possessions, the entire Miuradai team had gained a faint edge in momentum over Kainan and successfully seized control of the game's tempo.
Although Kainan was an extremely disciplined team and rarely suffered from shaken morale, A Maki had been stifled by Wu Yufei twice in a row. It was impossible for that not to affect Kainan's players at all.
The most obvious manifestation of that impact was the current score: 23-18.
Riding their ever-rising momentum, Miuradai had kept the gap firmly between five and seven points.
Whenever he had the chance, Wu Yufei still actively sought out A Maki for one-on-one matchups. But Kanagawa's king clearly understood that his opponent's morale was at its peak, so he decisively refused to engage him again. Thus, over the next eight minutes, both sides played steady, team-oriented basketball.
The driving duo formed by A Maki and Kiyota Nobunaga continued to be highly effective, forcing Miuradai's Naito and Ono to stay completely focused. One lapse, and their opponents could burst into the paint.
Ono Kazuki in particular had underestimated Kiyota Nobunaga at the start. He had thought that someone under 180 centimeters tall could not possibly cause much trouble in the paint, only to be taught a harsh lesson by a poster dunk. After that, he never dared look down