The referee of Game 565 held the ball steadily in both hands, a whistle in his mouth, and walked step by step toward the center of the court with measured strides.
He stopped on the center line, directly between the Kanagawa and Akita Prefecture players, and swept his sharp gaze from side to side.
Kanagawa's five starters were already in position on the left. Chi Tong stared calmly ahead, while Sendoh Mu, Shen Yi, and the others bent their knees slightly, their bodies taut with readiness.
Akita Prefecture's players on the right were equally prepared. Shen Jinyichen's gaze was steady, while Sawakita Eiji's eyes held a biting fighting spirit.
After taking in the condition of both teams, the referee slowly drew a deep breath, his chest rising slightly. Then he clenched his cheeks and blew the whistle forcefully.
A crisp, lingering whistle tore through the gymnasium's silence. The referee lowered his raised whistle, and the sound, like a charge horn, instantly ignited the entire venue.
At the same time, the referee loosened his palm, sending the basketball that symbolized this peak showdown steadily into the air at center court, carrying everyone's expectations with it.
The basketball traced a clean arc through the air, spinning as it rose before slowly descending, drawing every spectator's gaze firmly onto it.
The Autumn National Sports Festival finals between Kanagawa and Akita Prefecture had officially begun!
Before the whistle had faded, two heavy sets of footsteps boomed across the court.
Akagi and Masashi Kawata bent their knees and sprang upward almost simultaneously. Their burly bodies shot into the air like beasts that had been coiled for ages, arms stretching with all their strength as their fingertips clawed at the spinning basketball dropping from above.
Their movements were synchronized to the extreme, every inch of muscle