No one had expected that, at this crucial moment when they held an absolute advantage, Sannoh Industrial High School would be the first to call for a substitution.
Who were they going to put in?
Question marks filled the minds of everyone on Ryonan. They stopped moving in unison and turned toward Sannoh Industrial High School's bench, their eyes full of scrutiny and wariness.
Nobe Masahiro, wearing the number 5 jersey, slowly rose from Sannoh Industrial High School's bench. He rolled his shoulders, then strode calmly onto the court.
The player he replaced was none other than Sannoh's number 8, the team's defensive specialist.
When Chi Tong saw this, he narrowed his eyes slightly, a sharp glint flashing through them.
He instantly caught the key behind the substitution: they had taken off their core defensive player, renowned for his ironclad defense, and put in someone skilled at fighting for rebounds, strengthening their protection of the paint.
After only a brief moment of thought, Chi Tong had already seen through Sannoh Industrial High School's true intentions.
They wanted to use their current advantage to widen the score gap in one push!
He silently considered that even if they could not secure victory outright for the moment, they still had to firmly suppress Ryonan's momentum.
As that thought passed through his mind, Chi Tong slowly shifted his gaze toward Domoto Goro.
The iron-blooded coach leading this kingly team sat calmly in his chair, his expression placid, as though this unexpected substitution was merely routine.
Was this the warning of a champion?
Chi Tong murmured to himself, understanding flickering in his eyes.
He could completely understand Domoto Goro's thinking. Even with an absolute advantage, he would never give his opponents any chance to catch their breath or turn the game around. Every step