Eiji Sawakita's drives were sharp and tricky, while Sendoh's defense was airtight. The two figures darted beneath the basket so quickly that the spectators could barely keep up.
In the end, Sawakita Eiji relied on that split-second edge in speed to seize a tiny flaw in Sendoh's defense.
With a light flick of his wrist, he used an incredibly convincing feint to throw Sendoh off balance. Then he nimbly slipped around him, leaped high toward the hoop, and gently pressed his wrist. The basketball sailed toward the basket in a soft arc.
A crisp swish rang out as the ball dropped steadily through the hoop, and the numbers on the scoreboard changed.
Ryonan 49:55 Sannoh Industrial High School
The instant Eiji Sawakita landed from his layup, Ryonan's counterattack launched like an arrow from the bow. His teammates moved the ball swiftly and seamlessly, and after only a few passes, it arrived firmly in Sendoh's hands.
The moment he received the ball, Sendoh did not hesitate in the slightest. He pushed off hard, becoming a blue meteor set ablaze as he charged straight at Sannoh Industrial High School's basket with a howl tearing through the air.
His gaze was as sharp as an eagle's, locked firmly on the opposing hoop. Even the air around him seemed to roar under the disturbance of his extreme speed.
But just as Sendoh crossed half court and was about to enter the edge of the paint, a white figure flashed into view like a ghost.
Eiji Sawakita had already predicted his driving route and cut off Sendoh's path half a step early.
The distance between them shrank to less than a meter in an instant. The air itself seemed charged with the tension of two needles pressed tip to tip. Sendoh frowned slightly,