Sendoh had just displayed speed almost as explosive as Sawakita Eiji's, and his jumping height was every bit as impressive. At the peak of his leap, he had even risen a fraction higher than Sawakita Eiji.
In an instant, the atmosphere in the arena caught fire. The already feverish cheers turned fiercely competitive, with the blue and white cheering sections roaring back and forth until their voices grew hoarse. Camera flashes fired wildly, capturing the two players staring each other down across the court.
Sannoh's players looked slightly surprised by Sendoh's dunk, but none of them showed any panic.
Shen Jinyicheng's gaze remained calm. All he said was, "Interesting."
As Sawakita Eiji watched Sendoh, his cocky grin widened, and the fighting spirit in his eyes all but burst into flame.
Warm-ups soon ended. The referee's whistle sounded right on cue, interrupting the tense atmosphere on the court. At his signal, both teams' starters headed to either side of the center line.
The cheers gradually subsided, and more than twenty thousand pairs of eyes fixed on the basketball at center court.
The reporters held their breath, fingers hovering over their shutter buttons, waiting for the whistle that would start the game.
Ryonan against Sannoh Industrial High School-the final of this year's national high school basketball tournament was about to begin.
Yunnan's starting lineup consisted of center Yu Zhu, number 5, a third-year; small forward Sento, number 7, a second-year; power forward Fukuda Qizhao, number 13, a second-year; swingman Xiangtian Yan, number 14, a first-year; and point guard Chi Tong Lingyu, number 4, a first-year and the team captain. Sannoh's starting lineup consisted of center/power forward Kawata Masashi, number 7, a third-year; small forward Sawakita Eiji, number 9, a second-year; power forward Nobe Masahiro, number 5, a third-year; shooting guard Matsumoto Minoru,