Akagi did not even lift his eyelids. His jaw tightened slightly; clearly, he could not be bothered to waste words on Sakuragi Hanamichi, who was still groaning on the floor!
He merely gave a heavy snort. After all, Sakuragi Hanamichi's antics had thoroughly embarrassed him.
The farce had been nothing more than a trivial diversion before the game, but even that had made the atmosphere on Shohoku's side a little more awkward. Even the players on the bench lowered their heads, unwilling to look at the mortifying scene on the court.
Before Sakuragi Hanamichi could dwell any further on the pain at the back of his head, the timeout quietly ended.
At the referee's direction, the players from both teams took their positions at opposite ends of the court, their gazes meeting across the center line.
The game between Ryonan and Shohoku was about to begin.
Ryonan's starting lineup consisted of center Yu Zhu, number 5, a third-year; small forward Sento, number 7, a second-year; power forward Fukuda Kicchou, number 13, a second-year; shooting guard Yueye Hongming, number 8, a second-year; and point guard Chitong Lingyu, number 4, a first-year and the captain. Shohoku's starting lineup consisted of center Akagi Takenori, number 4, a third-year and the captain; small forward Liu Chuanfeng, number 11, a first-year; power forward Sakuragi Hanamichi, number 10, a first-year; shooting guard Mitsui Hisashi, number 14, a third-year; and point guard Miyagi Ryota, number 7, a second-year. Ryonan's and Shohoku's starters stood on either side of the center line, their gazes colliding fiercely in the air. No one wasted words, but every pair of eyes held an unyielding determination. Even the air in the arena seemed stretched taut, like a bowstring, as the oppressive tension before a storm slowly spread across the court from the players'