Suspense

Tokyo, Yoyogi Gymnasium, Court One—the quarterfinal matchup between Sanno and Ryonan.

After all, the second half had already passed the five-minute mark.

Though the two sides were no longer trading frantic attacks like they had at the start of the second half, instead settling into a slower half-court battle, the score remained stubbornly locked within a five-to-seven-point margin.

Every now and then, Sanno would stretch their lead to nine, or Ryonan would cut it down to three. But in the very next possession, their opponents would pull the situation back "on track."

With no sign that this deadlock was about to break, the coaches on both sidelines were anxiously considering ways to crack it open.

They both understood that if the game continued like this, no matter who ultimately won, Miuradai would be the only real beneficiary.

Neither of their teams matched Miuradai in pure strength to begin with. If they also gave their opponents a massive edge in stamina, was there even any point in playing tomorrow's semifinal?

Wouldn't it be over before the first half was even finished?

But the two coaches saw this issue differently.

For Sanno, Coach Domoto believed they had to secure victory as quickly as possible before the game truly ended, allowing the starters to come off early and avoid having to stay constantly tense as they prepared for tomorrow's truly crucial semifinal.

On Ryonan's side, however, Coach Taoka felt that a quick win no longer mattered. As long as the Ryonan Basketball Team won this game, advanced smoothly into the semifinals, and became one of this year's Winter Cup final four, then his goal for the year would already have been exceeded.

At that point, he would have more leverage to request greater funding and authority from Ryonan's board, laying the groundwork for