Outnumbered

The Jaguars and Flying Waves' game entered the second quarter.

Right from the start, the Flying Waves' head coach had planned to let Fujima use his individual ability to make up some ground while the Jaguars' starters rested. Who could have expected Sakuragi Hanamichi to emerge halfway through? Matched up against the foreign import Swift, Sakuragi held the upper hand throughout. Not only did the Flying Waves fail to extend their lead during this stretch, but Sakuragi repeatedly scored inside and out, widening the gap even further!

"Akagi and the others are back on the court. It'll be difficult for us to cut the deficit any further in the first half. As long as they don't pull away too much more, that'll be enough." What Coach Moriyama wanted most now was to get through the first half quickly, return to the locker room, and rearrange the tactics!

In the final three minutes of the first half, the Jaguars did not extend their lead any further after their starters returned. When the half ended, the Jaguars still led the Flying Waves 58:44, by 14 points. Neither team had expected such an advantage before the game.

The difference in three-point shooting was reflected in the score. The Jaguars made 7 of 16 threes, while the Flying Waves made only 5 of 15. On three-pointers alone, the Jaguars had won by 1 point.

"We didn't play at our own pace in the first half, and our shooting touch was poor. Everyone still needs to take the opponent seriously. Pay attention to help defense, but more importantly, we need to solve our problems on offense. Be patient, but when an opportunity comes, still shoot decisively. Fortunately, we're not far behind after the first half. Fourteen points in two quarters is more than manageable! Find your confidence again!"

Coach Moriyama did not go into any specific tactical adjustments in the locker room. Fundamentally, there had been nothing wrong with the Flying Waves' tactics in the first half. They had simply missed too many open shots.

"Honestly, I didn't expect everyone to play this well in the first half! Great job!"

Coach Omoki began by praising the team in the locker room.

"Hahaha, of course! If I had been unleashed earlier, we'd be leading by far more than 14 points!!"

Sakuragi launched into his boasting mode again.

"Idiot! You also have three fouls and three turnovers!"

Akagi had always held Sakuragi to high standards.

"All right, all right. Sakuragi, your overall performance in the first half was pretty good. But the game is 48 minutes long, after all. Just like before, we need to keep the mindset of fighting hard against our opponent. The Flying Waves will definitely launch a strong counterattack in the second half, and we need to prepare for adjustments in advance. That means dealing with Fujima."

As he spoke, Coach Omoki walked over to the tactics board and began explaining the strategy.

"In the second half, we must cut off the connection between Fujima and his teammates. Once Fujima gets the whole team involved and lets Kogure and the others find their touch, we'll be in trouble. So Miyagi will guard Fujima again in the second half. If Fujima wants to score, let him score. But we absolutely cannot let the other players find their rhythm. The Flying Waves can't beat us with Fujima alone! On offense, we'll still mainly use the pick-and-roll between Akagi and Miyagi. Rukawa Kaede can wait for opportunities on the perimeter. Everyone has been shooting well today, so if you get an open look outside, take it decisively!!"

"Understood, Coach. Don't worry. Not only will I cut Fujima off from his teammates, I'll make him disappear from the court!"

Miyagi listened carefully to the coach's words and spoke with confidence.

"Ah!! Disappear?? Miyagi, don't be impulsive!!"

Simple-minded Sakuragi became somewhat alarmed when he heard the word "disappear."

"This... means making Fujima completely ineffective on the court, like it makes no difference whether he's there or not. Sakuragi..."

Miyagi was a little helpless.

"Oh, that's what you meant... You made it sound way too scary..." Sakuragi was just like that; it was better not to use overly figurative language with him.

"All right, everyone needs to work together. Let's win this game!"

"Yeah~~!!"

The Jaguars' morale was soaring.

The second half began.

The Flying Waves had the first possession.

"Miyagi??"

Coach Moriyama was somewhat surprised to see that the Jaguars had switched Miyagi onto Fujima as soon as the second half began.

"Heh, looks like Omoki wants to use Miyagi's speed to stay with Fujima. Even if he can't stop Fujima's individual offense, he still wants to cut off Fujima's connection with his teammates. It's a bold move, but you're underestimating Fujima. His limits are far beyond that."

Moriyama was still full of confidence in his prized player.

Seeing Miyagi defending him, Fujima refused the screen. He dribbled decisively, preparing to take Miyagi one-on-one.

"Here it comes!"

Coach Moriyama stared at Fujima's dribbling, sensing something.

Fujima lowered his center of gravity and prepared to use the Roller Coaster to drive right. But after taking just one step, he suddenly stopped, dribbled laterally with his right hand, shifted the ball to his left hand, and completed a crossover. The instant he stabilized himself, he rose straight up for a pull-up jumper.

Miyagi was thoroughly shaken by Fujima this time. Carried by the momentum of his own quick retreat, he failed to contest Fujima's shot.

Swish! Nothing but net.

"Fujima's offensive arsenal really is complete, and his body control is elite too. That pull-up after the crossover was incredibly smooth. Who knows how many more moves he hasn't shown yet? It really is difficult to completely contain Fujima. Fortunately, we're ahead right now. It all depends on our offense."

Omoki also sensed the danger in his decision to have Miyagi defend Fujima one-on-one, but he still trusted his judgment: Fujima alone could not beat the entire Jaguars team!

Sure enough, the Jaguars' offense was completely unaffected by Fujima's basket. Akagi attacked forcefully inside and made a hook shot!

Back on the other end, the Flying Waves again had Fujima and Miyagi going one-on-one. Fujima once more faked a drive, stopped sharply, changed direction, and rose for a pull-up. This time, Miyagi was prepared. By slowing down in advance, he managed to contest Fujima's shot.

Clang! Affected by Miyagi, the ball did not go in. But it bounced far away, and Fujiwara grabbed the rebound.

"Come on!" Miyagi let his guard down for a moment, and Fujima slipped into the paint for the ball.

Tweet!! Defensive number 4, hand-check foul. Basket counts, one free throw!

Seeing Fujima cut into the paint, Fujiwara fired the ball inside. After catching it, Fujima gave a shooting fake. Akagi carelessly jumped, and once he took the bait, Fujima leaped directly into him while tossing the ball up.

Tweet!! Defensive number 4, hand-check foul. Basket counts, one free throw! The ball bounced around the rim a few times but still went in.

"Fujima's ability to read the game really doesn't seem like that of a young player. Some veterans might not even be able to stay this calm. As a guard, he charged into the paint alone, faced a big center like Akagi, still used a fake, and made the basket. Fujima truly lives up to his reputation!"

Watching Fujima come through for the team again, Coach Omoki praised him generously, but he still would not change the strategy.

"This is actually part of my plan. If things continue like this, Fujima's stamina will definitely be exhausted by the fourth quarter. The other players have barely been involved in the offense, and they won't find their touch anytime soon. By the time they do, the next game will probably be about to start!"

Coach Omoki was supremely confident.

After several back-and-forth possessions, there was not much time left in the third quarter.

The Jaguars had the ball. Rukawa Kaede received it, with Kogure now guarding him. Rukawa decided to get past his former teammate.

"Come on, Rukawa Kaede. Let me see how much you've improved these past few years!" Kogure's gaze was firm. Aside from his three-point shooting, his greatest strength was one-on-one defense.

Rukawa dribbled between his legs as if adjusting his feel. Kogure sensed that Rukawa was about to drive and immediately lowered his center of gravity, both hands constantly harassing Rukawa's dribble. The sudden pressure disrupted Rukawa's rhythm, and he nearly lost the ball.

"Pass it over, stupid fox!! Stop wasting time!!" Sakuragi grew anxious as he watched Rukawa keep holding onto the ball.

Rukawa ignored Sakuragi. In fact, none of his other teammates were even in his line of sight. All Rukawa could see was the basket.

Rukawa pulled back beyond the three-point line and decided to challenge Kogure's defense again.

"Time's running out!! Shoot it already!!" Miyagi reminded Rukawa from nearby.

Only then did Rukawa react. He quickly dribbled forward two steps, stepped on the three-point line, and forced up a three over Kogure's defense!

Clang~~~~swish!

"Whoa~~~~~"

From the disappointed sounds of the home crowd, it was obvious that the shot had gone in.

The ball struck the front of the rim, bounced straight up, and then dropped perfectly through the hoop.

Lucky ball!!

Rukawa shook his head, his expression as serious as ever.

"Lucky shot."

Rukawa said this to Kogure, who was smiling bitterly beside him.

"Even a three like that managed to crawl in. Luck is part of a team's strength too. The Jaguars really are having good luck today! A basket like that really hurts the defense's motivation. This is getting really difficult."

Moriyama looked extremely helpless, as if he had already sensed the outcome.

The Flying Waves attacked. Fujima ran a pick-and-roll with Swift, who used his huge body to block Miyagi. Seeing his defender screened off, Fujima launched a three in an attempt to answer Rukawa's shot. But he was still a step behind the three-point line, roughly eight meters from the basket.

Clang! The sound of iron rang out again.

"Fujima is getting too caught up in competing with himself! It's time to remind him." Moriyama stood as he spoke.

"Fujima~ Steady yourself. Create more chances for your teammates~~~!"

As Fujima ran back on defense and passed beside Moriyama, Moriyama shouted at the top of his lungs.

Swish!

Before Moriyama could even sit down, the Jaguars moved the ball with three quick passes to Mitsui, who was waiting in the corner. Mitsui decisively fired a three and made it again. 8:6, and the Jaguars had already taken a full lead over the Flying Waves. There was not much time left in the third quarter.

Tweet, the Flying Waves request a timeout!

Moriyama called another timeout. He only felt that this was the time to call one; he did not know what else to tell the team. He had already said everything that needed to be said. They simply could not make their shots, and there was nothing he could do.

Meanwhile, on the Jaguars' side, the bench players eagerly high-fived Sakuragi and the others, as if they had already won the game.

After the timeout, Fujima drew several fouls with his drives and earned free throws, but the Jaguars remained red-hot.

After three quarters, the Jaguars entered the final period leading 89:7 by 19 points.

The fourth quarter was like a repeat of the third. While the Jaguars' starters rested, Fujima scored repeatedly again. But once the Jaguars brought their starters back in, their firepower did not diminish, and the margin remained around points. The final score was 17:9, as the Jaguars unexpectedly and easily defeated the Flying Waves on the road. It was also the Flying Waves' home loss of the season.