He accelerated with everything he had, sharp pains stabbing through his lungs, yet the distance between him and Fukuda Kicchou did not shrink at all.
He could only watch helplessly as Fukuda Kicchou drew closer and closer to his team's basket.
Before long, Fukuda Kicchou drove beneath Aiwa Gakuin's basket with the ball.
There was no one guarding the basket.
Without the slightest hesitation, Fukuda Kicchou pushed off the floor and leaped, gently lifting the ball in his right hand and laying it neatly into Aiwa Gakuin's hoop.
A crisp swish rang out as the basketball sailed cleanly through the net.
Ryonan: 104!
Aiwa Academy: 90!
Damn it!
Zhu Xingda stared at the basketball bouncing beneath the hoop and cursed bitterly to himself.
His chest was still heaving from his desperate sprint back on defense. Sweat dripped from his chin, splashing onto the floor in tiny wet spots. In the end, he had failed to catch Fukuda Kicchou and could only watch him lay the ball in with ease.
The gap had now widened to fourteen points!
The countdown on the electronic scoreboard kept ticking away. They had less than eight minutes left.
Zhu Xingda's fingers clenched unconsciously. Anxiety spread through his heart like rampant vines, making even his breathing grow heavier.
He knew that if they could not break out of this deadlock, all hope of winning would be gone.
"Pass me the ball!"
Zhu Xingda snapped his head up and called to Long Zeduo, who was preparing to inbound the ball. His low voice carried an urgency that brooked no argument.
Long Zeduo did not dare hesitate and immediately tossed him the ball.
The instant the basketball landed in his hands, Zhu Xingda turned and charged toward Ryonan's half of the court.
"Captain..." Nakajima Shijin watched Zhu Xingda's