His feet were planted firmly near the baseline, his body leaning back slightly as he quickly adjusted his wrist. Before Ichinokura Satoshi could close in, he decisively released the shot.
The basketball traced a graceful arc through the air toward the hoop.
A crisp swish rang out as the ball fell cleanly through the net, and the numbers on the electronic scoreboard instantly changed.
Ryonan 31, Sannoh Industrial High School 36. The gap had been cut to five points.
In the ensuing game, the situation on the court seemed to enter another strange deadlock.
With Yueye Hongming providing a powerful threat from the perimeter, Ryonan's offense finally shook off its previous stagnation.
Once Chi Tong shifted his focus to the outside, Sendoh and Fukuda Kicchou's ability to draw defenders was fully unleashed.
In the ensuing game, the situation on the court seemed to enter another strange deadlock.
The flexibility of their tactics was instantly pushed to the limit.
Sendoh Akira no longer had to stubbornly force his way through alone. Using Yueye Hongming's off-ball movement to tie up defenders, he frequently drifted between the three-point line and the free-throw line, sometimes driving with the ball and sometimes receiving kick-out passes.
His all-around game was fully awakened.
Fukuda Kicchou was also able to break free from Ichinokura Satoshi's relentless marking. Although he still had to contend with Sannoh's help defense, he could at least use his speed to attack from the perimeter and create space for his teammates.
Yu Zhu was even more at ease around the free-throw line. He could take Chi Tong's pass, turn and power through Kawata Masashi, or draw the defense before dishing the ball to Yueye Hongming waiting in the corner. Their overall offense was far more fluid than when Xiangtian Yanyi had been shut down.