Epilogue

Tokyo, Yoyogi Gymnasium, Court One—the Winter Cup finals between Miuradai and Shohoku.

The game had now entered the latter half of the second half, and Miuradai still held a relatively safe lead.

Although Shohoku's starters had boosted their morale again with that 5-0 run just now, Wu Yufei immediately answered with a solo fast break, scoring within thirteen seconds.

Shohoku's counterattack could not shake Miuradai's foundations, but Wu Yufei's response dealt a solid blow to the morale Shohoku had only just built up.

"Hold your ground! Keep attacking!!"

Matsuoka Teruji took the inbound pass, steadily organizing the team's advance into the frontcourt while loudly rallying their spirits.

At this point in the game, Shohoku's players were far more exhausted physically and pressured mentally than Miuradai.

Shohoku's players were now relying entirely on sheer force of will to keep battling Miuradai.

And all Wu Yufei needed to do was extinguish that last breath of resolve Shohoku was clinging to as quickly as possible, leaving them unable to even entertain hopes of a comeback!

Very soon, his chance came.

At 11:39 of the second half, Rukawa Kaede used Sakuragi Hanamichi's screen in the frontcourt to shake Wu Yufei off, just as Matsuoka Teruji's pass arrived.

Whew...

After catching the pass, Rukawa Kaede did not dare waste even half a second. He took a quick look at the basket, then rose decisively for a Quick Release.

Clang!!

A rushed shot like that naturally came with no guarantee of going in—not even for Rukawa Kaede!

"Raaah!!"

Under the basket, Uehara Jun spotted the opportunity and claimed the best rebounding position first. He then roared and soared upward, narrowly defeating Alonso in their battle and securing the defensive rebound.

"Yufei!"

Once he landed, Uehara Jun immediately found Wu Yufei and quickly sent him the ball.