With only one second left on the clock, Kainan, trailing by four points, had completely lost any chance of turning the game around. They could not even force a tie.
Beep—!!
In the end, Kainan did not make one final attack. After inbounding the ball, A Maki simply held it and waited for the final buzzer to sound. Then he closed his eyes and let out a long breath as the basketball slipped from his hands and rolled across the floor.
"Wonderful!!"
"That means we're the!!"
"Champions!!!"
"Hahaha! We're champions! We rule Kanagawa!"
Miuradai's players, coaches, student cheerleaders, and supporting spectators all roared and shouted wildly.
Wu Yufei, meanwhile, had been pinned to the floor by his teammates from the very beginning as they piled on top of him.
Is it over...
A Maki opened his eyes and stared blankly at the glaring numbers on the scoreboard by the court.
I never expected that in my final year of high school... Not only would I fail to defend the prefectural title, I would even fail to make the National Tournament...
"Phew..."
Ending my high school career like this really is frustrating.
In the end, A Maki did not cry. He merely mocked himself in his heart.
Walking over to Kiyota Nobunaga, who was crying uncontrollably, A Maki pressed down on Kiyota's head and rubbed it hard.
"With so many people watching, what kind of sight are you making, crying like that? Lift your head. Your high school career is only just beginning. With opponents like Wu Yufei, Rukawa Kaede, and Sakuragi Hanamichi, the burden on your shoulders over the next two years will be much heavier than mine was."
"Y-Yes... Yes..."
Although Kiyota Nobunaga nodded, he still could not stop his tears.
"Next year's Kainan will be in your and