The Great Axe Representative Team had been formed by joining two powerhouse teams, Toyotama High and Daiei Academy, bringing together the finest basketball players from both schools in a truly star-studded lineup.
Chi Tong, Sendoh, and the other members of Kanagawa could hardly have been more familiar with Toyotama High and Daiei Academy.
After all, they had faced both teams in succession at the national high school basketball tournament, so there was plenty of history between them.
Their past encounter with Toyotama High had been particularly memorable.
Back at the National Tournament, Ryonan had relied on seamless teamwork and overwhelming strength to shut out Toyotama High. The staggering gap in that game remained vivid in everyone's memory.
Now, the players from Toyotama High had entered the Autumn National Sports Festival despite the shadow of that defeat. Their courage in facing failure and returning to the court alone showed a mental resilience few ordinary teams could match.
Chi Tong privately reflected that, had another team suffered such a crushing shutout without any chance to fight back, many of its players would probably have lost their confidence, or even given up basketball altogether.
The arena buzzed with voices. Cheers and shouts of encouragement mingled, filling the venue with a tense yet fervent competitive atmosphere.
The moment the Kanagawa Representative Team and the Great Axe Representative Team stepped onto the court, the players on both sides stopped in unison and looked across the short distance at one another. The tension instantly peaked, and even the surrounding noise seemed to fade a little.
Chi Tong swept his gaze across the opposing team and immediately recognized several familiar faces. The players he had faced at the National Tournament were all before him again.
Tu Wu Chun, Minami Retsu, Anben Shili-one name after another drifted through